


The Days of Our Drabbles

by Spoiler_Emblem



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Multi, Multiple Drabbles, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:24:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6900331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoiler_Emblem/pseuds/Spoiler_Emblem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of FE: Fates drabbles based on different prompts requested.</p><p>-Recent Drabble: Takumi really should learn to keep his mouth shut. Especially when his girlfriend is an icy maid who some how easily talked him into wearing her uniform for a day.-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Singing Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> A set of drabbles that were originally posted on Tumblr. Prompts aren't mine and are based on requests from those on Tumblr. Enjoy some drabbles!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siegbert wants nothing more than to sing like his brother, Shigure. When their lesson doesn't start off smoothly, Shigure has a plan on how to improve his brothers singing.

Siegbert had been running incredibly late today. How could he be so careless? That was not befitting of his royal status at all.

The prince had ran through camp, being sure to say 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' at those he ran by. He had been so busy helping tend to the weapons in the armory that he had completely forgotten about his singing lessons with Shigure. And after he practically begged his brother to teach him! Siegbert was incredibly ashamed.

Siegbert slowed his pace as he approached his brothers tent, being sure to stop outside before he called out to Shigure. "Brother? I'm sorry I'm late. Are you in there?"

Siegbert heard some rustling around before his brother responded "Yes Siegbert. Come in." the prince didn't deserve the shining smile his brother graced him with as he stepped into the tent. He didn't deserve his brother's kindness "I was starting to wonder if you had changed your mind." Shigure said with a soft chuckle.

The older prince managed to muster up a smile as his younger brother pulled out what appeared to be music sheets. "My apologies. I was held up in the armory and-" Shigure held up a hand, causing Siegbert to stop in his ramblings.

"Its fine Siegbert. I know you are busy. I'm honestly surprised you made time in your hectic schedule to receive singing lessons." the younger prince said as he shuffled through some of the musical sheets.

Siegbert didn't believe it to be fine. Because its wasn't. He should have been paying closer attention to the time. "You and mother sing so well. Father can carry a tune too. I feel as though I'm the only one of us that has difficulty with singing."

Shigure shook his head as he turned his attention to his older brother, holding out one of the music sheets for him to take "I do not believe that, Siegbert. I'm sure you sing just fine." the older prince took the music sheet into his hand and eyed it for a second or so. He wasn't surprised his brother had chosen this song. It was the song their mother loved and sang constantly.

"Shigure, I'm tone deaf." Siegbert admitted, looking at his brother with a stern expression. His brother just rolled his eyes in response, not speaking until he set the other music sheets down. "Who told you such things?" his younger brother asked.

Siegbert went through the list of those who had told him he had no talent in singing. Nina, Percy, Shiro...even Soleil! The younger prince held an expression of surprise at the many names his older brother listed off. He held up a hand to signal Siegbert to stop.

"They are delusional. I'm sure you sing quite well." Shigure gave him a warm smile. Siegbert didn't even get time to argue as his brother signaled him to start singing "Let me hear you. I'll be the judge of if you are tone deaf or not."

The older prince hesitated before looking over the music sheet and starting to sing. Between how nervous he was and not knowing how to hold a tune, he sounded like a drowning faceless. As Siegbert finished the song, he looked back at his brother. Shigure was usually excellent at masking his emotions, but it was obvious how he was feeling then.

Shigure looked pained and the older prince didn't blame him. Siegbert could see some surprise mixed into his brothers expression too. Once the younger prince realized that the singing had stopped his expression changed to try and mask his pain "Brother, that was...you did very well. I don't know what the others were talking about."

The older prince huffed and tossed the music sheet aside "You don't need to lie to me Shigure. I know I sounded awful." Shigure was too kind for his own good. He knew he was just trying to spare Siegbert's feelings. Siegbert could not ask for a better little brother.

"No, brother...it didn't...I mean..." Shigure let out a sigh and gave his brother an apologetic look "I'm sorry Siegbert. It is cruel to me to lie to you. I've just...that was awful." Well Siegbert had wanted his younger brother to be honest with him. And he definitely had been being honest.

The older prince sighed and sat down on Shigure's cot, burying his face in his hands. "It was foolish of me to ask you for help. I believe I am a lost cause." he felt his brother rest a hand on his shoulder as Shigure sat down next to him on the cot.

"It was not foolish. You just wished to improve. Even if you cannot sing, you still have many other talents." the younger prince smiled, his words not changing Siegbert's demeanor in the slightest.

"But not the talent that all of my family seems to possess." Siegbert arguef, taking his hands away from his face to look at his brother.

Shigure huffed and shook his head "Forrest has told me that Uncle Leo has no singing talent. So not everyone in our family can sing." the younger prince states.

"One other person in our family can't sing. Good to know I'm in the minority with my uncle." Siegbert groaned. Shigure grabbed hold of his brothers hands to prevent him from burying his face into them.

"I said before, you have many other talents that those in our family do not possess. You excel in much more useful skills." the younger man explained, letting go of Siegbert's hands as his brother gave him a curious look.

"Such as?" the older prince questioned, gesturing for Shigure to continue.

Shigure chuckled before he spoke, going on about how Siegbert excels with almost every weapon in the armory. How the older prince had excellent penmanship and always maintained such a cool head, even under the highest of pressures. The younger prince goes on and on until Siegbert motions for him to stop.

"Alright brother. I get it, I get it." Siegbert said with a small smile. What had he done to deserve a brother like Shigure? "But those talents aren't enough to summon animals like you do."

The younger prince looked quizzical at the statement before lightly chuckling "Is that what this is about? Brother please, you had that rabbit hop right up to you, remember?"

"That only occurred once. No animal has come near me since. Even the cows seem to despise my existence." Siegbert rubbed at his eyes. He had been hopeful that animals would surround him and he'd make friends with them, just like Shigure. But every animal he approached seemed to run in the other direction. How pathetic was he to be envies of his little brother when it came to being friends with animals? He had a war to be concerned about, not this.

"Why do you care so much?" Shigure questioned, still holding onto that quizzical expression.

"Because I am to be king. I should be able to connect with everyone, even animals!" the older prince explained.

"Not even a king can connect to everyone. Didn't Velouria once tell you that?" Shigure asked, giving another of his warm smiles to his brother.

"But I-" Siegbert stopped as Shigure held up his hand once more.

"Enough brother." the young prince said before standing up. "Brother, I wish to try something."

Now it was Siegbert's turn to look confused. Shigure headed to the flap of his tent to exit, causing Siegbert to scramble up off the cot and follow after him "Brother? What do you mean? What about the singing lessons?"

The younger prince looked back at him, still maintaining his smile. "The lesson is still going on. We will just be practicing swordplay at the same time."

This didn't answer Siegbert's question at all. Nonetheless he followed his brother to the arena and easily caught the practice sword Shigure tossed to him "Brother, I thought you disliked using swords."

"I do." the younger prince nodded, grabbing a practice sword for himself. "But thats because I'm not very good with them." Shigure turned and gave his brother a confident look "Which is why I wish for you to teach me."

"Shigure, of course I would teach you. B-but the singing lessons...?"

"I said I would help you to sing and I will. Brother, I've heard you sing before and you sound lovely. But I believe you need a distraction to tap into that hidden potential." Shigure led the way into the middle of the arena, getting into the stance their father had taught them before looking back at Siegbert "Sing while you fight me."

The older prince's confusion didn't wane as his brother explained his new teaching method. He couldn't possibly be describing Siegbert's singing. Lovely? That was a lie. "Shigure, I think you may have mistaken someone elses voice for mine if you think-"

Siegbert didn't have time to respond as the younger prince came at him, causing them to lock swords "Sing brother." Shigure commanded.

Siegbert was at a loss for words at first, attempting to register the situation. His brow furrowed and he pushed Shigure back and swung at him, words escaping his mouth as he sung the song both of them knew so well.

The older prince never lost focus as he fought his brother, managing to swing his sword and counter Shigure's attacks as his song echoed throughout the arena. It wasn't until he sang the final note of the song that he sent Shigure's practice sword flying halfway across the arena.

Both men were completely out of breath, unable to say anything beyond a wheeze and a puff. Their attention was drawn elsewhere as they heard clapping near the arena's entrance. There stood their mother, giving both of her sons a gentle smile.

"Siegbert, that was lovely. I never knew you could sing so well." Azura said, walking over and embracing her oldest son. "Maybe we can sing a duet some time."

The older prince was in shock as his mother held him close. He never would have dreamed of getting praise from his mother about his singing. Siegbert snapped out of his shock and glanced over to his younger brother.

Shigure smiled at him and gave a small nod. The older prince returned the smile and wrapped his arms around Azura "I would like that mother." he glanced at his younger brother "Thank you."


	2. Nothing Less

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Selena could always point out her imperfections and flaws. Subaki on the other hand found her nothing less than perfect.

Selena had one question and one question only. How in the world could it rain in the Astral Plane?

The mercenary already feels the water soaking through her clothes and boots. The feeling is utterly disgusting and Selena wants nothing more than to take cover. The mess hall is nearly in sight causing the woman to sigh in relief as she burst through the buildings doors to escape the rain.

She is a soaking mess from head to toe, that is painfully obvious. It was also obvious that others in the army had chosen the mess hall as a means for shelter. Including... _him._

Selena winces as the pegasus knight calls out to her, waving a hand frantically at her as he politely moves around the other soldiers. Gods, he is the last person she wants to see. Especially on a dreary day like this.

Everything about Subaki annoys her. And by everything, she means **everything**. Seeing him was like seeing an alternate version of her mother. She was grateful that he located her ring, Selena had thanked him for that. She was grateful he humored her by taking part in the competitions she came up with.

What she wasn't grateful for was that he beat her at every little thing. Even in combat he had managed to best her! It was childish to resent the man for just doing what she asked, but the resentment was there and it stuck to her like glue.

"Selena, there you are. I was hoping you would come here to escape the rain." the pegasus knight made it through the crowd and came to a stop right in front of her. He clearly had been caught when it had started to rain, he is just as much of a soaking mess as she is.

"Why is that?" Selena huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. She almost flinched from the feeling of the wet clothes against her skin but managed to hide her discomfort.

Subaki gives her a beaming smile. Oh what she wouldn't do to smack that smile off his face. "I've been trying to get your attention all week. But every time I've seen you, you walk in the other direction." his smile starts to falter and he places a gentle hand on her shoulder "Tell me Selena, have I offended you?"

"Hey! Back off!" the mercenary shouts and shrugs his hand from her shoulder. Her face heats up when she notices others staring over at them in confusion. Subaki even held an expression of mild shock. Selena sighs and shakes her head "No, you haven't offended me. I just don't want to be around you." No one could ever say that Selena wasn't painfully honest.

The pegasus knight's mild shock became a look of confusion "May I ask why?" Even in his confused state he still looked perfect. Standing up straight, making perfect eye contact with her, being nothing but polite despite what she said. Gods, this wasn't fair.

"No, you may not ask why." Selena answers before making an attempt to walk passed the man. "When a lady says she doesn't wish to be near you, respect her wishes and buzz up."

Selena feels Subaki's hand grip her arm before she can get very far. She blinks and turns back in his direction. Is that...sadness she sees in his eyes? Perfect people didn't get sad though. She must have been mistaken.

"I have nothing but respect for you Selena. But it has been killing me that you have been avoiding me." he releases his grip on her arm as his frown deepens "Please, won't you tell me whats on your mind?"

Selena can feel her whole body heating up just from the look he gave her. He looks nothing less of a puppy dog that was begging for affection. One thought runs through her mind before she realizes she needs to leave. _Gods, he is handsome._

"E-excuse me." she stutters out as she pushes passed him again to reach the mess hall exit. She can hear Subaki call after her as she swings open the mess hall doors and runs into the rain.

Why had that thought crossed her mind? She'd only admit to herself that she might have a small crush on the pegasus knight. Even admitting it to herself had caused the mercenary to go into denial which in turn caused her to avoid Subaki at all costs. She couldn't have a crush on him. She couldn't love him. He was too perfect. He'd never love an imperfection like her.

Even with rain water running down her face Selena could still tell she was crying. How pathetic could she be today that she was crying over a man?

In her despair, Selena failed to notice the small ditch in the ground. Her foot gets caught and causes her to smack onto the cold, wet grass. This slip up only causes the tears to flow harder.

"Selena? Selena!" there was his voice again. The sound of his voice was joined by hands that hoisted her off the ground. Even though the cold rain had soaked their clothes, she could still feel the warmth radiating off his body as Subaki pulled her close to him.

"Gods, Selena, are you alright?" he asks her, putting her at arms length to look for injuries. He stops when he sees the reminisce of tears on her face. Subaki frowns and pulls her into his embrace again. "I don't know what I did to hurt you so, but I am sorry."

Now he was taking the blame. Wasn't that just _perfect_?

Selena sniffles before she shakes her head, pushing against Subaki to get away. "No...no it's not you."

"Then tell me what troubles you! Tell me so that I can take those troubles away!" his voice was so full of concern. Did he truly care for her? Care for her well being enough to slay any demons that stand in her way?

"The trouble is you!" Selena blurts out, finally escaping his grasp. He gives her that saddened expression again, an expression that Selena was growing to hate. "For how perfect they say you are...you are so daft! Gods, how haven't you noticed my feelings for you?"

The mercenary feels her face heat up as she goes on her tirade. She practically opened herself up like a book as she tells him that she feels something towards him. Something more than friendship and comradery. Something akin to love.

Selena looks away as she finishes her rant, knowing it was foolish to admit such feelings. Feelings she knew he wouldn't recuperate "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." she gives a nervous chuckle "Perfect people don't like imperfections like me."

In an instant she feels his arms wrap around her again, managing to hold her closer than before. "You call me daft," he mumbles and buries his face into her wet hair "And yet look at you. You aren't an imperfection in my eyes."

Selena takes a second to recover before she looks up into his eyes. The expression he gives shows her that he is nothing but serious. "In my eyes you are perfection." he smiles down at her and gently presses his lips against hers.

It was strange, but in that moment, she really did feel nothing less of perfection.


	3. Hard to Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its time for Laslow to return home and go back to being Inigo. Convincing his wife and daughter to come with him has become a struggle of its own though.

"I just don't get it."

Laslow sighed as he looked upon both his wife and daughter. Both held the most confused expressions the man has ever seen. It was all so simple. How could they not understand?

"Peri, you already know I hail from another kingdom, another world to be exact." Laslow started his spiel again. He had lost count between the sixth or seventh time he had to explain his situation.

"My home is a kingdom called Ylisse-"

"Elise?" Soleil interrupted him.

The man groaned and shook his head "No, its...nevermind! The point is its' time I return there. I would like you both to come with me."

Laslow had put this off for as long as he could. He had made excuses up to tell Odin and Selena, but they steadily grew tired with his excuses. They wanted to go home, and Laslow understood why. He wanted to go home too. But out of the three he was the only one with a wife and child to think about. A wife and child whose homes he was basically ripping them away from.

"Lets try this again." he sighed. "My real name is Inigo."

"I don't like that name. Stick with Laslow." Peri said as she crossed her arms over her chest "I only know you as Laslow."

"But my dear, that's not my true name." he argued. He understood that this revelation would take time for them all to get used to, Peri the most. Laslow was tired of going by a fake now though. Tired of hiding who he truly was from the people he loved.

Peri's annoyed expression changed to one of confusion then to a smile "Okay! Inigo it is! Whatever makes me hubby happy!" she said as she pinched his cheeks. Laslow had to not laugh at her sudden change in demeanor. He was highly positive she still didn't understand what he was telling her, but he supposed her calling him by his real name was a start.

He looked from his wife to his daughter. His sweet child and the light of his life looked at him not with confusion, but anger.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" she asked, arms crossed across her chest. "Didn't you think we deserved to know?"

Laslow gets Peri to stop pinching his cheeks before he stepped closer to his daughter. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder "Soleil, there was a war going on. I didn't want to worry you and your mother over this."

That response hadn't done much to quell the girls anger "You are asking us to leave our home. Asking me to leave my friends." Laslow noted the tears that welled up in his child's eyes. She should never have to cry, especially not because of him.

"I would never ask you to leave those you care for behind. Which is why I told you my story, because I can't bare the thought of leaving you here and never seeing you again." he leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"I, along with Odin and Selena, were sent here to help defeat a strong dragon, the one you saw only days ago. We had been chosen because in our world we had helped to defeat a creature known as the fell dragon." Laslow saw Peri moving closer to the two out of the corner of his eye. He smiled when he felt her hand against his back.

"Once the dragon here was defeated, we were told we could go home. I have made my friends wait long enough. It is time we return." Peri's arms had wrapped around him by this point. He was sure she was trying to provide him comfort and voice her understanding, even if she didn't fully understand the ramifications of going with him.

Laslow smiled down at his daughter, freeing one hand and placing it on Peri's shoulder "I would love nothing more for you both to come with me. To meet the ones I call mother and father. To meet my sister." he would still have so much more to tell the two. Tell them his full story. But that could wait for now. The biggest issue right now was if they would come with him.

"I'll go with you Laslow- I mean Inigo!" Peri quickly corrected herself, tightening her grip around the mercenary. "Peri loves her little hubby." she rubbed their noses together before smiling at their daughter.

Laslow could tell Soleil was still unsure of what to decide. He knew it would be hard to say goodbye to all she has ever known. "I would miss you if you stayed here, but I would understand." he tells her, squeezing her shoulder.

The tears that had bottled themselves up soon started to fall from Soleil's eyes and roll down her cheeks. "D-dad, I can't...I can't say goodbye to you." she said before wrapping her arms around him, crying into his chest.

A small smile had formed on Laslow's face as he rubbed his daughters back. He tried to console her, letting her know it would be alright and that he and Peri would always be there for her.

Once they returned to Ylisse, he'd never let either of them go. When he was reunited with his family they'd celebrate his and the others return. He'd finally have the family and future that he once thought was lost to him.

Even with Soleil crying into his chest and Peri starting to cry into his shoulder, he couldn't have been more happy.


	4. Days as a Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siegbert had never shown the ability to become a dragon like his mother or brother, but some times you just can't escape your own heritage. Even if that heritage is becoming a giant dragon.

This couldn't be happening. This was bad. Very, **VERY** bad.

Siegbert was blunt on the subject. He was now a dragon. A huge dragon to be matter of fact. The same type of dragon that his mother and younger brother could turn into on command. He never possessed such abilities. The only part of him that hinted at him being more than human were his pointed ears.

He showed no signs of having the ability to become a dragon, even in times of high stress. Both his parents had believed he just didn't inherit this ability and moved on. His mother had still given him a dragonstone, just incase. Siegbert carried it with him everywhere and on occasion would attempt to use it, but he had little luck in transforming.

The young prince had moved on. He carried the dragonstone with him but no longer made attempts to activate it. He was positive the only reason he still lugged it around was because it was a gift from his mother and he cherished all of her gifts.

Siegbert should be relieved he still carried around that stone, otherwise the situation could have turned out a lot worse. One minute he had been practicing with Shiro, the Hoshidan prince actually besting the Nohrian prince in combat for once. As good of a friend as Shiro was, he could easily get under Siegbert's skin.

Throughout the sparring session, the Hoshidan prince was constantly making friendly jabs at Siegbert. The young man could take Shiro's jokes on occasion, but not today. Especially when he had been trying to focus on the combat at hand.

Siegbert's morning had started out utterly awful. He had gotten a tear in his pants, spilled his breakfast all over his clothes and armor, tripped at least three separate times. Today was not Siegbert's day. The turning into a dragon part made it even worse.

"You uh...you're...sort of a dragon." Shiro stared up at him in what could only be described as a look of confusion and astonishment.

"I...am most definitely a dragon." He had meant to whisper it, but his new booming dragon voice almost made it sound like a shout.

"I thought you couldn't, ya know...do that?" His friend looked skeptical. Siegbert wasn't surprised the astonishment had washed away rather quickly, there were two other dragons here that everyone had seen transform before. He wasn't all that special.

The Nohrian prince didn't respond at first as he went through the task of looking himself over. From what he could tell he looked exactly like the type of dragon his mother and brother could transform into, but with some different colored scales here and there.

"Sieg? You alright?" he heard Shiro call to him, causing Siegbert to snap back to reality.

"I'm not sure." he managed to lower his voice into a whisper, at least he had picked up on this dragon thing rather fast. He supposed the dragonstone was to thank for that.

Shiro shook his head, taking a small step closer towards Siegbert in the process "How did this happen? You've never done this before." If the Nohrian prince could roll his eyes, he would. It was painfully obvious he'd never done this before, otherwise he wouldn't have been in so much shock.

"I don't know. My mother said that she and Kana both changed for the first time under high stress. I'm not stressed." Siegbert almost scoffed at the unconvinced look Shiro had given him. "What?"

"That is the biggest load of faceless dung I have ever heard." The Hoshidan prince huffed. "You're the most stressed person I know. I'm surprised you haven't keeled over from all that strain you put on yourself."

Siegbert knew he wasn't the most relaxed person around, but he wasn't so stressed that he could die from it. He was apparently so stressed that he had activated his dragonstone though. "How do I change back?" he questioned, looking around for any sign of his mother or sibling.

"Yes, because I would so know the answer to that." Shiro rolled his eyes before looking around at their surroundings. There was no one else in sight, which was odd on its own for that time of day.

"Oh Gods, what if I'm stuck like this?" he questioned, almost sounding panicked. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down, to keep a leveled head. Siegbert was usually good at remaining calm, but not today. He felt as if he had some reprieve to escape his usual calm mannerisms based on the fact he was now a dragon!

"Alright, alright, just stay calm." The Hoshidan prince sighed and continued to look for anyone else that could help. Neither Corrin nor Kana was to be seen. Not even Xander had been around to help calm his sons nerves.

Shiro started to walk and motioned for the panicking dragon to follow after him. Siegbert hesitated before taking some steps. He had been afraid he would fall but moving as a dragon almost felt...natural.

His footsteps were rather loud, causing Shiro to wince every time his friend took a step. The Hoshidan prince was almost worried that his friend would accidentally stomp on him if not careful. Shiro was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard Siegbert speak.

"Where are we going?" the Nohrian prince asked, some panic still remaining in his tone. Walking seemed to help calm him down, if only by a little.

"To find your mom, duh." Gods, Siegbert was a smart man but could be so dense sometimes. Where else would Shiro be leading him to?

"But we don't know where she is." The young dragon argued. Had he known where his mother was he would have went to go find her already.

Shiro waved Siegbert's concern off, making a 'pfft' noise in the process "We'll find her. She can't be far."

Their search for Siegbert's mother went on for what felt like hours. Almost everyone in camp now knew the Nohrian prince had accidentally transformed into a dragon. They were constantly surrounding him and going on about how cool it was that he had this ability now. Another dragon to add to the armies ranks.

Siegbert did not find it cool at all. He was outwardly portraying a calm demeanor but inwardly he was panicking on fifteen different levels. He had tried to use the dragonstone to change him back, he had even mentally pleaded with the darn thing, but of course no response had come. He needed his mother **badly**. He needed to know she wasn't mad at him. He needed to know how to change back to normal.

That thought made him feel a bit guilty. Siegbert felt as if he had been rejecting and cursing half of his heritage. As terrified as he was at the moment of being stuck as a dragon forever, he had to respect the side of his family that wasn't human. His mother and brother could use immense power when in dragon form to help their comrades. Why couldn't he do the same?

Siegbert's inward panic had become feelings of confidence and determination. If he could get a handle on this form he could protect all those he cared for, mainly the citizens of Nohr. The kingdom that he would someday rule.

The young dragon was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the concerned voice of his mother rushing towards him in the distance. Siegbert looked to his left to see his mother rushing towards him and Shiro. He was relieved they had finally found her, or more so she found them.

Shiro let out a hearty laugh, probably just as relieved as Siegbert was that Corrin had shown up. "I think you'll be just fine, Sieg." he said, patting one of the young dragon's front legs.

Siegbert glanced down at Shiro before looking back in the direction of his mother. He could tell she was concerned but there was also something else mixed into her expression. Joy? Elation? Pride? Was she actually proud of him?

The Nohrian prince couldn't help but join in his friend's laughter. Here he had been worrying about what would happen to him and if he would be stuck like this forever. Meanwhile his mother looked nothing less of proud of him.

Maybe Siegbert could get used to being a dragon...but only some of the time.


	5. Another Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU where Elise talks Ryoma into playing pretends. With the whole package of princesses and knights. Elise really should be studying right now.

"I'm sorry, but your princess is in another castle."

"What?"

Ryoma stood off the ground from his kneeling position, giving Elise an annoyed look. He had come over to her home to help her with her studies, not spend time playing pretend. They were both much too old for this sort of game yet Ryoma always somehow managed to succumb to his girlfriend's pleas.

"This is the fifth castle I've been to. Does this princess not know how to stay in one place?" the man asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Currently, Ryoma was playing the part of the knight while Elise switched back and forth between characters. At that moment she was just a simple maid delivering the news (Elise's words, not his).

"I don't think the princess has much choice in the matter of where she is taken hostage to." the young blonde responded.

"Elise, you really should be studying, not playing games." Ryoma sighed. He knew Elise was getting ready to argue when her cheeks puffed up and her lower lip stuck out.

"But we are having so much fun!" she pouted, crossing her own arms across her chest to match Ryoma's stance "And you haven't saved the princess yet!"

The older man tried to take a different approach, knowing words alone wouldn't get Elise to surrender. "But what if I don't want to save the princess?" he asked. Ryoma got down on one knee again and took his girlfriend's hand in the process "What if I wish to stay with you?"

He knew he had roped her in when Elise's face started to turn red. The young woman was a sucker for the romance.

"B-but the princess! You need to marry her."

"I don't wish to marry the princess. I wish to stay and marry you." Ryoma gave her his warmest smile and a wink for good measure, causing Elise's already red face to grow darker.

"You're cheating Ryoma! That's not how you play!" she huffed puffing her cheeks out again. Even though that face meant Elise was about to argue, the older man thought she was adorable when mad.

"I am not cheating. I'm just speaking the truth." he laughed, getting up from the floor again to pull his girlfriend into an embrace. The one thing he loved about their height difference is that he could lift Elise from the ground and she wouldn't complain. If she complained that meant no kisses for her and Elise hated not getting kisses.

"You're a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater." The young blonde continued to argue. She made their foreheads touch as she spoke again "Now the princess is doomed."

"For shame. I suppose I really will need to stay with the lovely maid." Ryoma teased, spinning around with Elise in his arms. He smiled when this got a laugh out of the young woman. "Now how about we go study?"

Ryoma tried to seal the deal by giving his girlfriend an eskimo kiss. It was her favorite kiss, for some reason or other, so he knew that would get her to break.

The young woman puffed out her cheeks for the third time in the past five minutes. Ryoma was playing dirty and he knew it, but Elise really should focus more on her studies, especially if she wanted to follow her boyfriend to college.

"New game!" she stated and wiggled herself out of her boyfriend's arms.

The older man groaned and shook his head "Elise, no new games. Its time to get working."

Elise turned back to Ryoma and gave him a disheartened look. Her eyes glassed over as tears threatened to fall "Please? Just one more? For me?"

_'How am I supposed to say no to that?'_ Ryoma let out a long sigh before relenting to his fate "One more. Thats it." He couldn't help but smile from Elise's change in demeanor after he agreed. The tears vanished and a bright smile lit up her face.

"Yippee! Now kneel!" Ryoma obliged and slowly lowered himself back onto the floor. His knees were going to revolt against him tomorrow. He watched as Elise grabbed the paper Burger King crown from the couch. The young woman always insisted on getting one every time they went to the fast food joint.

The older man knew what was coming next so lowered his head as Elise stepped closer. "Sir Ryoma, as princess-"

"You're the princess now? I thought you were the maid."

"SHHHHH! I said this is a new game!" Ryoma couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as Elise continued to shush him. Once his giggling had stopped his girlfriend continued with her spiel.

"As princess of this land, I hereby make you a prince and-"

"I'm getting promoted from knight to prince? Is that allowed?" Ryoma asked, lifting his gaze from the floor to look at the young woman.

Elise let out a frustrated sounding groan as her boyfriend interrupted her again. "Ryoma! Shut up! I won't study if you don't shut up!"

The older man chuckled again at Elise's 'threat'. She was almost as adorable when frustrated as she was when angry. He held up his hands in defense before lowering his head once more.

The young blonde waits as if she is making sure her butt of a boyfriend won't speak again before starting over her mock coronation. "As princess of this land, I hereby make you a prince and demand you marry the prettiest princess of this kingdom. Which is me."

Ryoma's smile grew bigger when he heard Elise giggle at her own words. The paper crown was placed onto his head, with his girlfriend making some adjustments so it could stay situated on his massive amounts of hair.

"You may rise now, Prince Ryoma." the blonde said, attempting to sound regal and proper.

The older man stood from the ground slowly as to not cause his 'crown' to become displaced. "How do I look?" he asked.

"Very royal. Oh so handsome." Elise covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled.

"Now, will the princess agree to allow her newly elected prince to help her study?"

"You weren't elected you butt." She huffed and poked Ryoma in the ribs. The older man chuckled from the poke and recovered rather quickly.

"But you will agree to study?" he asked, maintaining a smile on his face.

"Only if you carry your princess up the dangerous steps." Elise dramatically fell into her boyfriend's arms. Ryoma smirked before hoisting the light woman up and holding her close.

He ascended up the stairs and made a beeline for Elise's room "So I saved you from the castle I presume? You are the princess after all?"

This question got him a well deserved huff from his girlfriend. "No! You tried to run off with the maid!"

Ryoma let out a hearty laugh that practically shook the whole house "I thought this was a different game? I didn't run off with the maid in this time."

Elise just grumbled and poked her boyfriend's chest "Just take me to my books!"

The older man let out another hearty laugh as he carried his princess to her room. Maybe playing pretend wasn't as bad as he thought it was. If it brought a smile to Elise's face, then that was all that mattered.


	6. Pregnancy Woes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin comes back home to find Reina, his warrior and strong wife, crying her eyes out. When she reveals where her tears are coming from, it all makes sense to Corrin.

Corrin had never seen Reina cry before.

He hadn't seen her cry when she messed up cooking his favorite dish. No tears shed when she had nearly gotten impaled during a battle with Nohrian forces. Dry eyes even when he had proposed to her.

Corrin had figured that Reina just wasn't the type of woman to cry and let it be at that. She was a strong woman after all and could hold herself together well both physically and mentally. So coming back to the tree house to find his wife sitting in front of the vanity mirror and bawling her eyes out was...very disheartening.

"Reina?" he called to her before stepping away from the door and heading towards her. "Reina, whats wrong?"

As he got closer he realized his warrior wife was clutching her stomach in a protective fashion. Was she injured? Had she hurt herself? Twenty different worse case scenarios ran through Corrin's head at once. He quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him.

"Reina? Are you alright? Whats-" Corrin's rambling was cut off when he noticed a smile was etched across his wife's face. Why was she smiling when she was crying?

"Oh Corrin, I didn't realize you would be back so soon." Reina chuckled as she wiped some of her tears away "Gods, how concerned you must be seeing me like this."

Even as he stared at her smile, Corrin still felt worried "Why were you crying?"

"Do not look so glum, my love. It is good news." Reina let out a shaky laugh. More tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "I just...can't stop crying because of it."

"Any news that makes you cry can't be good." The dragon prince huffed. He pulled over a chair so he was sitting next to his wife. Corrin took Reina's hands in his before speaking "My warrior wife never cries."

This earns Corrin a soft chuckle from the older woman. He couldn't help but smile after hearing her laugh. It was so beautiful to hear.

"Even warriors can cry. Especially ones like me. I don't have a heart of stone you know." Reina squeezed her husbands hands as her smile grew bigger "Tell me Corrin, how do you feeling about children?"

The dragon prince looked perplexed by this question. Children? He hadn't thought about them much. He'd maybe like to have some after the war, but other than that much thought hadn't been put behind the idea.

"Children are alright. I suppose. Why do you ask?" Corrin knew he had said the wrong thing when Reina's smile faltered. He quickly tried to fix his mistake "I...I wouldn't mind having some someday! I'd...I'd love to start a family with you!"

This didn't seem to fix anything, only make it worse "Well...someday will be in nine months." The kinshi knight said, tightening her grip on Corrin's hands. The dragon prince sat there in shock, not even registering the pain from how tightly Reina was holding onto him.

_Nine months? What does that mean? Wait, that is the time it usually takes for a baby to be born, isn't it? So is she saying-_

Corrin was snapped out of his thoughts as he looked into his wife's eyes. A smile had formed on her face again as she waited for his reaction.

"I...we're...are we..." The prince couldn't find the right words. It was like his brain had become mush and he had forgotten how to speak "We're...we're having a baby?"

Reina let out a shaky snort as her husband finally spoke. The tears continued to flow out of her eyes like a waterfall. How could a woman who he has never seen cry have so many tears to shed?

"We...we are indeed having a baby." the older woman managed to speak despite her ever flowing tears and the cracks in her voice "Are you not happy?"

Corrin was certainly not happy...he was **thrilled.** Although he would have preferred to wait until the war was over he couldn't wait to see this child that they would bring into the world.

"Reina...oh Gods, thats great." he said barely above a whisper. Reina had to strain her ears just to hear him. Corrin could tell those words were like taking a weight off his wife's shoulders. Had she been worried about what he would say? Had she worried he wouldn't want the baby?

"You don't...you don't know how happy I am to hear that." The dragon prince didn't even have time to prepare as Reina wrapped her arms around him and pressed their lips together. Corrin had to brace himself on the back of the chair to prevent the two from falling over.

Once the threat of falling was gone, he returned his wife's kiss and embrace. They were going to have a baby. The whole thing just seemed so surreal to Corrin. It felt like they had just gotten married yesterday.

Corrin was the first to pull away from the kiss as he gave his wife a warm smile "I'm...I'm going to be a father. I can't believe it."

Reina was about to say something but Corrin just kept going "We'll...we'll need to tell my siblings. Oh Gods, Ryoma is going to be a uncle. How will he take that?"

The kinshi knight once more tried to speak up but her rambling husband went on "We'll need to baby proof the room. The baby should be safe here while we fight right? I would hope so. We'll need to place our weapons elsewhere as well. Naginatas are not good for babies."

"Corrin-" Reina tried to interject. She sighed as Corrin went on and on about changes that would need to be made to protect the baby. About how they were going to tell everyone. What would they name the baby? Would a boy or girl be better? Oh wait, that doesn't matter because the baby will be loved regardless.

Reina finally drew the line when her husband stated that she couldn't go into battle anymore. " **Corrin!** " She practically shouted. It got her husband's attention though. "You cannot keep me from battle. I am meant to fight and protect Hoshido. To protect you."

"But Reina, you're pregnant. I can't have you risking yours or the babies life." The dragon prince slowly placed a hand on the kinshi knight's stomach, giving her a look of concern.

"It is still early. I can assure you I will be fine in battle." Reina was stubborn and Corrin supposed that was what he liked about her. But right now she needed to understand that her and the babies safety was priority.

"I have no doubt you can handle yourself, its just," The young man removed his hand from her stomach and looked away "I don't want to risk it. I want to know you are safe. I want to know that our child is safe."

Corrin hoped Reina understood where he was coming from. He needed her to understand. She was the strongest person he knew. He had no doubt she would be able to hold herself in battle. But war brought many surprises and risks. The last thing he wanted was to lose the thing they both wanted. The baby.

When she didn't respond, Corrin took her hand and squeezed gently "I love you and I will love this baby. But until that baby is born, I need to know you are safe. I need to know I won't lose more people that I love."

Reina's tears had stopped by this point, leaving tear stained cheeks and red eyes as she looked at her concerned husband. Corrin's grip on her hand tightened as he waited for a response. Any inkling to what she was thinking about.

"The baby...is priority." She finally spoke. The kinshi knight didn't give him time to say anything as she continued "I will not take risks that could endanger our child. I would never do that. But, I cannot abandon my duties."

Corrin's hopeful expression fell at this confession. She would still fight? Even when pregnant? Why wouldn't she just listen to him?

"So a compromise is in order," Reina placed a finger gently on the dragon prince's lips, preventing him from speaking as she went on "Allow me to fight until I can fight no more. Let me paint the battlefield with the blood of your enemies until I grow too big or tired to fight. Allow me to do this, please."

Corrin didn't know what to say. He didn't want to agree with her but he knew that was probably the best deal he could make with Reina. He rather her stay here in the Astral Plain for the entirety of the pregnancy. To stay safe and away from the horrors of war.

But that wasn't the type of person Reina was. She loved fighting. She loved the spirit of war. He couldn't keep her from what made her happy. A compromise would have to do.

"Alright. That will do." Corrin said once Reina's finger was pulled from his lips. "But, you can't argue with me about watching over you and when the time comes for you to leave the battlefield, you must leave."

The dragon prince felt like he was ordering her around and he hated it. But he needed to be stern with Reina. Even if she was his elder she needed to know he was serious about her and the babies safety. He was surprised when she smiled at him, he hadn't expected that.

The kinshi knight leaned in closer and gave her husband a quick kiss on the lips. "Of course, my love. I wouldn't have it any other way. Let us protect each other for as long as we can."

Corrin couldn't disagree with her. He smiled and nodded before asking "How does the name Kana sound to you?"


	7. Not Always Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kana gets his sister to bake him a cake to try and get her to relax more. Kana fails to realize that baking is one of Caeldori's flaws.

How could she have been so careless? She followed the recipe to a T. She even added in the ingredients her father recommended for added flavor. How had it become such a mess?

Caeldori eyed the oozing pastry before her, looking at it apprehensively. The texture looked all wrong. There were charred bits here and there. She was highly positive it **wasn't** supposed to be leaking some green concoction.

Kana stood to her left and Caeldori knew he was trying his best to look supportive of whatever mess of a pastry she had made.

"It...it looks really yummy, sis!"

"It looks like poison." Caeldori sighed, lifting the plate from the counter and dumping the pastry into the trash can.

"Sis! We could have eaten that!" The child huffed, stepping closer to the trash can to retrieve the wasted treat. Caeldori placed a hand on her brothers chest and stopped him in his tracks.

She shook her head "No Kana. It would have made you sick." Why had she let her little brother talk her into this? Caeldori was perfect at making any type of Hoshidan dish and even some Nohrian cuisine. Desserts were her achilles heel.

"N-no! Anything you make is great!" The young dragon argued, looking at his sister with a pouty face. Caeldori couldn't help but smile.

"I thank you for that compliment, Kana. But that...mess...looked absolutely inedible. Why don't I make you curry instead?"

Kana shook his head so hard his spiky hair smacked against his cheeks "I want your desserts! Not your curry!"

The young sky knight sighed, glancing over to the cake ingredients she had left over. She couldn't understand why her brother was so adamant on having her make something she had difficulty with. Why he wanted to bring out her one flaw in the kitchen.

Caeldori was brought out of her thoughts when she felt tiny arms wrap around her waist. She looked down to see her brother, holding as tightly as he could and giving her a distraught face.

"Don't look sad, sis!" He whimpered, squeezing her waist.

Caeldori gave her brother a small smile and patted his head "I'm not sad, Kana. Its just...desserts are not my specialty."

"They aren't? But you are perfect! Just like papa!" Kana whined, his distraught expression returning to a pout.

The sky knight giggled and ran her fingers through the young dragons hair "You saw that cake, Kana. That isn't something someone perfect would create."

"It was perfect! I would have eaten it!" Caeldori had no doubt her brother would have eaten the entire cake on his own, only to make himself sick in the process "Sis! Wait!"

Kana released his hold on his sister to get a stool, pulling it over to the counter. He took a step onto the stool and patted the bag of flour, now that he could reach it "I'll help you! Two bakers are better than one!"

Caeldori giggled again at her brother's enthusiasm. Kana was a worst baker than her, but that was mostly due to his age and his tendency to eat all the batter before the cake could be completed. But with the bright smile he wore, she couldn't say no.

She came to her brothers side at the counter, reading off the recipe and ingredients for him to grab from the countertop. Kana got too eager when he cracked an egg and caused the contents to spill onto the ground.

Caeldori brushed it aside and said they'd come back to that. She made a mental note to clean the floor as more of their baking ingredients hit the ground. She nearly screamed when Kana dropped the bag of flour, causing it to fly everywhere, including onto the two young bakers.

Kana just laughed and reached over to his sister, dusting off her shoulders. He stopped though when he noticed Caeldori hadn't found the mess all that funny.

"You need to be more careful, Kana."

The child started to pout "You need to relax, Caeldori."

The sky knight was taken back at first, her brother usually just referred to her as 'sis' most of the time. "I am relaxed."

"No you aren't! You make a scary face every time I drop something! You get all shaky before we add something to the bowl! You slapped my hand when I wanted to try the batter!"

"I apologized for that last one." Caeldori huffed. It was a reflex when she swatted Kana's hand away. A reflex she developed when trying to keep Shiro from sampling any food she would make.

"Sis, you are so uptight!" Kana complained.

Caeldori couldn't help but look offended by the statement "I am not. I'm just very particular about things and how they are done. For one, I don't like how big of a mess we are making."

"We can clean it later. Sis, I just want you to relax and not be sad!"

Caeldori blinked in surprise by Kana's outburst "Sad? Kana, I'm not sad."

"You are! You always get sad when you don't get something right or when somethings not perfect." Kana took his sisters flour covered hand, giving it a squeeze "I just wanna see my sister smile more."

The sky knight would have shed a tear had she had anything to wipe it away with. She smiled at her little brother, giving him a pat on the had "I'm sorry Kana. I would never want to do anything to make you worry over me." She glanced over at the bowl of ingredients, causing the young dragon's gaze to shortly follow "Why don't we finish this cake?"

Kana's beaming smile returned instantly as he gave a small cheer, quickly shoving the recipe list into his sister's arms and waiting on her directions. More ingredients fell onto the ground as they worked. Batter was splattered across their clothes as Kana whisked too hard.

At one point, Caeldori grabbed some icing and put a drop on her brothers nose, causing the child to giggle before he did the same to his sister. The end result was the two siblings throwing icing and eggs at each other.

Caeldori felt some egg goo dripping down her face as she grabbed hold of the butter stick and tossed it at Kana, causing the butter to explode on the child's chest. Kana didn't seem to mind though as he retaliated by throwing another egg.

"What is going on in here?" The siblings were halted as they looked towards the door to the kitchen, their parents looking at them in bewilderment.

Caeldori lowered her arm and quickly let go of the handful of flour she intended to throw. Kana looked equally as guilty as his sister and dropped his egg filled arms to his sides, causing the remaining eggs to hit the floor with a loud splatter.

"Mother! Father!" The young sky knight spoke up, her entire face turning red as she realized how big of a mess the two siblings had made "I...I am so sorry! I'll...I'll clean it right away!"

Corrin and Subaki were silent at first. The whole kitchen fell into silence for what felt like hours. Finally, Corrin started laughing as she looked at her two children, seeing all the cake ingredients they were covered in. Subaki couldn't help but follow in his wife's laughter.

Caeldori looked at her parents in confusion, having expected a scolding. Kana gave a nervous giggle, still wary as to if they were in trouble or not.

Subaki was the first to compose himself, looking at his daughter with a warm smile "Caeldori, I've never seen you having so much fun before."

The young woman blinked in surprise. This was nothing like she had been expecting "Father-"

"I hope next time you decide to cut loose, you make less of a mess." Her father chuckled, turning his smile to Corrin, who was still busting a gut with laughter "Let your mother and I get some cleaning supplies to help you two."

Subaki led his wife out of the kitchen. Caeldori could still hear her mother's laughter clear as day from where she stood. The sky knight was paralyzed with confusion until she felt a tiny hand grab her own.

"That was fun wasn't it, sis?" Kana asked with a bright smile.

"I suppose. But we never finished the cake." Caeldori frowned, feeling as though she had failed in dessert making yet again.

"That's okay! As long as we had fun that's all I care about!" The child released her hand to instead wrap his arms around his sister's waist "You're the greatest Caeldori!"

The young woman smiled, wrapping her own flour and egg covered arms around Kana's small frame "As are you, Kana."


	8. Horde After Horde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zombie AU: Niles and Camilla along with their young daughter scavenge for supplies in a zombie ridden world. Danger lurks around every corner and they can only be vigilant for so long.

Niles gave the arrow a quick tug, easily pulling it from the zombies head. He made a disgusted face seeing the brain matter coating the arrows tip. He wiped it against his already grimy pants and turned to the woman looting a body behind him.

"Anything good?" he questioned, moving on to the next zombie to pull an arrow out of.

"No." Camilla sighed as she pulled her hand out from the corpses jacket pocket. "There never is."

How had things gone so wrong? No on saw the seemingly impossible and unrealistic zombie apocalypse coming. It took most by surprise and caused a majority of the population to succumb and become undead creatures. The couple was lucky enough to escape with their lives during the outbreak. Though some times Camilla wished they hadn't.

"You can come out now dear. Its all over." The purple haired woman knelt in front of one of the malls many benches and peaked under it. A little girl stared back at her with fear in her eyes "Its alright Nina. Mommy and daddy took care of it."

The young girl immediately shot herself into the woman's arms, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. Camilla rubbed her daughters back and whispered words of comfort to her "Its alright sweetie. Mommies here."

So young and yet forced to live this type of life. A life of constant moving and fighting.

"We should get moving. Grab a few more supplies from the stores and get to the next town." Niles walked up behind them, cleaning off another arrow tip with his pants.

Camilla rose from the ground with their daughter still pressed tightly to her chest. "The mall has already been raided. There is nothing here for us."

"There has to be something!" The man argued "We can't have come here for nothing."

"Niles, there is nothing." She knew it hurt him for her to say this. The mall had been a form of hope for them. Hope that there was still a chance of survival as long as they could find much needed supplies.

The mall had been too heavily raided before they had arrived though. Nothing was left but broken glasses and zombies. Camilla was honestly surprised there wasn't more of the undead monsters roaming around. It must not have been a busy shopping day when the outbreak occurred.

"Lets just look a little more." Niles said before swiftly turning on his heels and walking into the nearest store. Camilla sighed but promptly followed after him.

The store was nothing more than a clothing shop. If anything they could find a change of clothes for themselves and maybe some extra cloth to use as bandages. Most of the left over clothing had been torn to shreds either by raiders or zombies. None of it could be worn or even used for bandages.

Niles kicked one of the clothing racks and groaned in frustration. Camilla walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder "We'll find something. Relax."

The tension in the man's shoulders didn't ease up, if anything he grew tenser. "We need something. Anything." Niles looked at his wife and child, a frown etched across his face. Camilla had never seen him look so hopeless.

"Come on." He mumbled, leading them out of the clothing store. "Maybe the food court has something left over."

Camilla would take moldy bread by this point. She was so hungry. So were Niles and Nina. She adjusted how their child was sitting in her arms before once more following her husband.

Luck seemed to be on their side as only one zombie preoccupied the food court. Niles easily took it down with an arrow to the back of the skull. "If anything, at least I get to see you use those strong arms of yours more often." the purple haired woman giggled, trying to ease the tension.

She was thrilled when a smirk crossed the man's face. There was the Niles she knew and loved. "I can show you a lot of others things too." Camilla giggled when the man's eyebrow wiggled with his words.

"Eeeew, stoooop." Nina whined. Both adults laughed at their daughters reaction. Niles ruffled the child's hair before retrieving his used arrow.

Camilla placed Nina on the ground before taking her hand "Stay close sweetie." She said before walking over to one of the many food stands that lined the walls. She hoped to at least find clean water in one of them.

The two stopped in front of what used to be a pizza stand, at least that is what Camilla assumed it once was. She peeked over the counter only to be greeted by a dusty floor with spilt condiments scattered around.

She and Nina walked along the length of the stands, checking each one for any scraps or water. Each time they were met with an empty stand to accompany their empty bellies. Camilla spared a glance over at Niles, who seemed to be having just as bad of luck as she was.

With only one stand left, the woman didn't hold much hope. She once more peeked over the counter and to her surprise saw a bag of bread on the floor. It didn't look moldy and the bag kept it from making contact with the dirty floor.

"Niles! I found something." she called over to her husband. She released Nina's hand and told her to wait as she climbed over the counter top. Her footprints left marks on the dusty floor as she made her way to the bag of bread. Just the sight of the food was making her mouth water.

She knelt down and grabbed the bag, looking it over carefully to make sure there were no holes to indicate mice had already gotten to it.

"Mommy!" Camilla heard Nina's voice and spun around only to be greeted by the face of a zombie. The woman shrieked and took a step back, dropping the bread in the process.

The zombie acted fast and grabbed her shoulders, causing them both to topple onto the floor. Camilla barely registered what was happening. She vaguely heard the shouts of her husband and child as the zombie dug its nails deep into her shoulders.

It snapped at her as it tried to gain access to her neck. Camilla held her hands out against the creatures chest, holding it back as best she could. If she could just reach her pocket knife...but doing so meant losing her ground against the zombie.

Would Niles reach her in time? She wouldn't know. Everything was moving so fast. Camilla's arms were shaking as the zombie put more weight upon her. Camilla mumbled a curse before removing one hand and reaching for her pocket knife.

The zombie had its opening and caused the woman's remaining arm to buckle as it forced more weight down upon her. Camilla hadn't even grasped her knife when the zombies teeth sunk into her neck. She let out a pained gasp but didn't give the zombie the satisfaction of continuing its feast as she grasped the handle of her knife and jammed it into the base of the creatures skull.

The zombie let out a cry before falling limp on top of Camilla. For a moment she couldn't move. She felt paralyzed. Blood was definitely running down her neck. It was over for her now. She'd been bitten.

"Camilla!" Niles called, jumping the counter. The woman could barely see him from under the zombie. She caught a glimpse of Nina in his arms as he rushed over. She didn't want their daughter to see her in such a state.

"God, Camilla..." The man placed their daughter down at a safe distance before rolling the zombie off from on top of Camilla. He assessed the damage, panic on his face when he saw the bite "No...damn it, no."

"Niles..." she reached for his hand, holding it tightly in her own.

"Hang on...just hang on." Niles said, reaching to rip a part of his shirt to use as a bandage. Camilla clutched his hand even tighter as she shook her head. He stopped in his actions, knowing there was no hope.

"We had a good run." She sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling.

"I'm not leaving you." Niles now squeezed her hand. He was acting stupid. Camilla knew he was. But he wasn't thinking straight. He was panicking. It was a side she rarely saw of him.

"Nina...Nina come here." She had to see her daughter one last time. Hold their sweet child in her arms.

The young girl shook her head, tears falling down her face from the sight of her mother. Camilla urged her once more, Niles joining in on the urging. 

Nina took a few steps forward until she was right beside her mother. Camilla raised her free hand to her daughters face, stroking her cheek "Its going to be okay sweetie. Daddy is going to protect you."

"I want you." The child said, more tears falling from her eyes. 

"I know you do. My sweet Nina." Her vision was already turning dark. She looked at Niles expectantly. They had promised to never let the other turn. To never let the other become those things.

Camilla could tell her husband was wary. That he was hesitating. She believed she'd do the same if she was in his shoes. Even with his reservations she knew she could trust him to end it.

"Nina, go wait in the corner."

"Daddy-"

"Go!" The man's voice raised slightly, causing the girl to jump. Nina kissed her mothers forehead before scurrying off to the corner. Camilla almost believed the child knew what was going to happen.

Niles once more squeezed her hand. "I don't know if I can do it."

"You can." She said barely above a whisper "You need to."

The man chuckled softly "Maybe I should have let you bring that dog along with us. Maybe it could have prevented this."

"A dog would have been good company." A small chuckle escaped her own lips. "You can do this, Niles."

The man leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to his wife's lips. He rose to his feet and pulled an arrow from his quiver before readying his crossbow. Camilla could see his hands shaking. But she knew he wouldn't hesitate "I...I love you Niles." She barely managed to stutter out.

His hands grasped the crossbow tightly. He aimed for her head, at a spot that would end it painlessly "I love you too, Camilla." then he pulled the trigger.

Niles felt as if he stood there for ages just staring at his late wife. It was just him and Nina now. A daughter he had to look after on his own. He glanced over at his child who was cowering in the corner. Her shoulders shaking and tears still running down her face. She was all he had left of Camilla. He would make sure Nina lived.

The man went over to the zombie that still had Camilla's pocket knife buried in his skull. He pulled the knife out easily, wiping the brain matter off on his pants.

"Nina."

The young girl turned to face him. Niles blocked her view of Camilla before holding the pocket knife out to her. "You're going to make your mother proud."

Nina eyed the pocket knife. She was still shaking violently. Niles hoped she wouldn't have nightmares. He continued to hold the knife out, not really expecting her to take it.

They stood there for a moment longer in silence before Nina finally took the knife into her own tiny hands "I'll make you both proud."


	9. Competitive Streak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siegbert and Shiro wish their fathers wouldn't argue about which one of their sons was the more superior. Especially when all the boys want to do is make out. Mainly Shiro.

"Shiro was trained to be spear fighter. His weapon class has the advantage over Siegbert's."

"Oh really? Then why did Siegbert take down Shiro in that last match?"

"It was luck!"

The two young princes watched as their fathers bickered back and forth about which of their sons was the more experienced child. Two soon-to-be kings acting like utter children.

"Gods, this is annoying." Shiro huffed, glad neither men heard him. They were too caught up in their own argument. He and Siegbert had just finished their tenth match for the day and were now resting, something THEY had to insist on.

"I've never seen father act like this before." The Nohrian prince sat with his hands in his lap, stunned by his own father's behavior. That couldn't be the same man he had always looked up to.

"And they call us the immature ones."

"Father has never called me immature."

Shiro looked at his friend with a stunned expression. Though he wasn't sure why he expected any different. Siegbert was the definition of a stuffy prince with a stick up his butt. Among other things getting shoved up there.

The two young men looked back at their fathers who hadn't seemed to let up in their arguing. Ryoma's reddened face almost matched his armor while Xander's voice was growing louder by the second.

"Siegbert is highly proficient with a blade! Your son only chose to use a lance to beat you!"

"Its a naginata you uncultured Nohrian scum!"

Shiro and Siegbert practically groaned in unison. The arguing was getting old fast and at the rate the two older men were going the whole camp would be alerted in no time.

"I wonder if we would be caught sneaking away." Siegbert sighed, having grown embarrassed by how his father was acting. Shiro smirked and gave the Nohrian prince a gentle nudge.

"To do what? Have a little fun?"

The blush that spread across Siegbert's face had Shiro bust out in a fit of laughter. Luckily their fathers hadn't seemed to notice.

"Gods, Shiro. Behave yourself."

"I always behave myself. At least in public." The Hoshidan prince started to laugh again when Siegbert's cheeks grew redder.

"Shiro! Quiet down over there! Now as I was saying Prince Xander, a naginata is much lighter and-" Shiro rolled his eyes at his fathers brief scolding. He had given the young prince two seconds of attention before jumping back into his fight with Xander.

Siegbert shook his head before rising from his spot on the bench "I've had enough. I will apologize to father later for my abrupt departure but I cannot watch this display any longer." Normally he would wait for his father and walk by his side, but the argument didn't seem to be ending any time soon and Siegbert was tired of the embarrassment it was bringing him.

"I'll come with you. As laughable as this all is, I'm getting bored." Shiro bounced up off the bench, already following Siegbert away from the two bickering men.

If their fathers had noticed their departure, they obviously didn't care. Siegbert seemed to be fuming more and more as they got farther from their fathers.

"Sieg? You okay? You do know we're away from the fighting now right?" Shiro asked with a raised brow.

"I just...its unbelievable!" The Hoshidan prince had never seen his friend look so mad before. Siegbert was usually pretty good at keeping his emotions in check "Gods! How could father just act so...so..."

"Immature?"

"Exactly!"

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle. Siegbert was rather cute when angry. Though Siegbert was cute regardless of whatever emotion he was showing at the time. Shiro's favorite was when the other prince was flustered.

The Hoshidan took his Nohrian counterpart by the wrist and led him behind the Records Hall building where no one could see them. It was his favorite place to take the other prince when they wanted to be alone. Besides the bedroom.

"Shiro what are you-" Siegbert didn't have time to finish as Shiro pinned him against the back wall of the building.

"You need to chill. I know exactly what to do to fix that." Shiro leaned up to meet the taller prince's lips. Whatever protest Siegbert had planned was lost as he melted into both Shiro's kiss and embrace.

They held the kiss for only a moment before puling apart, both needing to catch their breath. The entirety of Siegbert's face was red while only Shiro's cheeks had grown darker.

"Gods, Shiro. What if someone saw us?" The Nohrian prince asked, looking away from the other man.

"No one has seen us yet. Seriously Sieg, you need to relax." Shiro gave Siegbert a gentle squeeze as he grinned widely.

Siegbert only sighed before clasping his hands on Shiro's shoulders "I...I suppose we can continue. But only for a few more minutes. Our fathers will notice we aren't there eventually."

"You don't want your dear old daddy to catch you in this position? It could be worse, you could be bent over and-"

"Shiro! For goodness sakes! Behave!" Siegbert scolded, his blush intensifying immensely. This only got another chuckle out of Shiro before the Hoshidan brought the Nohrian down for another kiss.

Little did they know of the sneaky outlaw watching them from the bushes.

"Oh this is gold..." Nina muttered as she scribbled in her notebook. Drool was practically running down the side of her mouth "Absolute gold!"


	10. Screwed Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elise cast a spell that causes her and Leo to switch personalities and poor Corrin is left to pick up the pieces.

Why had it become Corrin's responsibility? His younger siblings had done it to themselves, why couldn't they fix it on their own?

The spell book was placed in the center of the table that separated Corrin from the pair of blond's. One with a rather large smile on his face and the other with a scowl. The problem was that these expressions were on the completely wrong people.

Leo's smile was brighter than Corrin could ever imagine. It was almost downright terrifying. Most of the time the Nohrian prince just smirked or looked cocky. At that moment he just looked pleasantly content with the situation.

Elise on the other hand held a scowl that did not match her appearance in the slightest. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked at Corrin impatiently, like he would have all the answers on how to fix the problem at hand.

They had switched personalities and it was all because of the stupid spell book that was placed on the table. Elise had been the one to find it and cast the spell. She'd been getting rather good with magic since being promoted to a strategist, but not good enough since she hadn't realized the properties of the spell.

It was made worse by the fact that the normally bubbly and cheerful Nohrian sibling had cast the spell on both herself and the more...uptight older sibling.

"Well? What are we supposed to do?" Elise asked, maintaining her annoyed expression.

"I don't see a problem right now. I feel great!" Leo proclaimed, clasping his hands together to stand like Elise usually would. The younger girl's eye roll almost made Corrin chuckle, if it wasn't such a 'serious' situation.

"Its not fine. There had to be some sort of mistranslation in that tome." Elise rubbed at her temples, obviously growing frustrated by Leo's optimistic attitude.

"So what if there was? Its not like we were killed or anything." The mage waved off his sisters concerns.

"Elise, Leo. Stop." Corrin spoke up but obviously didn't get either siblings attention as they continued on with their arguing.

"This isn't just something you can wave off. Stop acting like a child and think rationally about this." The young girl huffed.

"I don't need to think rationally. You're just being a big meanie." Leo stuck out his tongue at his sister, which only increased Elise's annoyance.

"Act like the adult you are!"

"Not until you stop acting like a party pooper!"

" **WILL YOU BOTH STOP!** " Corrin's yelling drew the two younger siblings attention away from each other and back to him. The dragon prince rubbed his eyes, not in the mood to deal with his siblings blunders. This wasn't a big concern right now. At least not their biggest concern. He turned to Elise "Can this spell be reversed?"

The young girl shook her head "It just said it had a cooling off period." Which meant that the spell would wear off on its own over time. That obviously didn't sit well with Elise, most likely because she wasn't enjoying her new perspective on life what with being forced to have Leo's uptight nature.

"How long?"

"Ten hours." Oh so it wasn't as bad as Corrin thought it would be. They could have been stuck like that for a week.

"That's not bad, Elise."

"Its awful!" The girl protested "I rather not be stuck with Leo's personality for another second."

"Whats wrong with my personality?" Leo huffed "Yours isn't much better."

"Could have fooled me with how you're smiling like an idiot."

Leo didn't get a chance for a rebuttal as Corrin slammed his hand down on the table, causing the younger siblings to jump and look at him in shock.

"Enough of this. This will all be over in ten hours. Until that time you two should just go sulk in your rooms and not cause any trouble."

That was easier said than done. Because trouble was bound to happen.

Leo had failed to go to his room and instead went around the Astral Plain practically terrifying everyone with his new bubbly attitude. His retainers had wondered if the Nohrian prince was sick with how he was behaving. Leo just laughed and called them the best friends he's ever had. Corrin was surprised the two retainers hadn't run off screaming.

Corrin hadn't been able to find Leo himself and was stuck fielding complaints and concerns from other soldiers about how the prince was acting. The list was very long.

Leo had at one point stumbled into the mess hall where Peri was cooking. The blood thirsty warrior had been in the middle of making dessert when Leo practically 'sampled' each of the treats. The Nohrian prince should have considered himself lucky Peri hadn't decapitated him.

Then Leo had caught Laslow in his sight and asked the dancer to come up with some new game. The shy mercenary had become increasingly flustered when Leo tried to get him to dance. Matters were made worse when the Nohrian prince just elected to grab Laslow's hands and spin around with him.

Corrin finally tracked down Leo, who was in the middle of harassing his latest victim. Takumi never stood a chance. Leo had the poor Hoshidan backed in a corner as he talked the others ear off.

"We should totally start exchanging books! I know exactly what you'd like! Oh! Wait, wait, wait! I heard you like soup too! We can exchange recipes and-"

"Leo." Corrin spoke up with a tired sigh as he approached the two. The blond looked over his shoulder at his brother while Takumi just shot a look that screamed 'save me'.

"Big brother!" Leo shouted happily, turning away from the archer to hug Corrin. The dragon prince sighed and just patted Leo on the back.

"T-the...the hell?" Takumi muttered from his squished spot against the wall. Corrin just looked at him as if to say he'd explain it all later. He grabbed hold of Leo's hand before pulling him along.

"Bye-bye Takumi!" The Nohrian prince called back as he waved to the Hoshidan prince. Takumi didn't wave back and just sunk to the ground.

Next up was to find Elise. Corrin hadn't heard any scary stories about his little sister (thank the Gods). The dragon prince just tried to think like Leo, or more so think like his personality, and it became easy to locate the youngest Nohrian princess.

Elise was cooped up in the Records Hall, a stack of books by her side as she flipped through the pages of the one in her hands. They weren't incredibly hard to read books, mostly just simple records of both armies. But they were still things Elise wouldn't normally read.

Corrin was still holding tightly to Leo's hand as they entered the hall. He had to make sure the prince didn't run off. But Leo was more content to just wave at everyone they passed rather than speed off to Gods know where.

"Elise?" The dragon prince questioned, taking a few steps closer to his younger sister.

The young girl perked up from her book "Corrin. _Leo._ "

"Elise! Guess what I did today? Laslow and I came up with this great game and-"

"Gods, do you ever stop talking?" The young blonde rubbed at her temples. Corrin almost felt like doing the same thing.

"Mind if we join you? I need to keep Leo out of trouble until all of this is over." Corrin sat down in front of Elise, forcing Leo to sit down as well.

Elise groaned in response "He's going to make so much noise. Can't you go somewhere else?" She wasn't wrong about the noise part. The Nohrian prince was already grabbing some of the books from Elise's pile and tossing them aside if they didn't catch his interest almost immediately.

Corrin just issued his sister an apology and spent the rest of his afternoon keeping an eye on the two siblings. More so his brother than sister. Elise spent the remaining hours of the spell reading while Leo just whined and rolled on the floor when bored. Corrin only had to break up five fights.

The tenth hour approached and it was like a switch flipped between the two. Corrin sighed in relief seeing the familiar bubbly spark in Elise's eyes and the narrowing of Leo's. They were back to normal. _Thank the Gods._

Both siblings groaned almost immediately. Leo clutched his stomach while Elise held her head. "I have a headache." The young girl whined before mumbling something about having read too much.

"My stomach feels like it might explode." Leo complained, holding his stomach tightly.

Corrin couldn't help but laugh "That's what happens when you eat over a dozen cupcakes."

Elise gave the dragon prince a gentle smack on the arm "Shhhh, don't be so loud. Owwie..."

"Why don't I take you both to a healer? I mean...when you both can move." Corrin laughed once more. All his siblings could do was groan.


	11. All I Ever Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's in Hoshido for a festival and Takumi takes it upon himself to make sure Leo sees everything. Leo is not pleased and is already tired of being dragged around.

"We'll need to do this. And most definitely that. And ooooh, that needs to be done right away."

Leo leaned against the wall and sighed as he pretended to listen to whatever it was Takumi was going on about. The Hoshidan glanced over the list of activities for them to do while Leo was visiting Hoshido. The list was so long the paper almost touched the floor.

The Nohrian finally decided to speak up "Takumi-"

"No wait, this has to be first. No wait...that still wouldn't work. Maybe if we did this first and the other thing second."

"Takumi-"

"Give me another five minutes to figure this out. It'll be perfect." The Hoshidan prince just continued to drone on and on and Leo felt like it would never end.

"Oh for Gods sake. Will you listen to me you, Hoshidan trash?" Leo couldn't take it anymore.

Takumi's attention was immediately caught as he finally pulled his attention away from the list to glare at the Nohrian prince "What was that, scum?"

Leo couldn't help but snort as he pushed off the wall and plucked the list from Takumi's hands. The Hoshidan tried to get it back only for Leo to place a hand on the others chest to keep him at bay.

"Takumi, you have a weeks worth of activities on here. I'm only in Hoshido for three days." And one day had already been wasted by getting himself settled in.

"Just extend your trip! We could get everything done by then." Takumi managed to finally snatch the list from the other man's hands, smiling triumphantly as he did so.

Leo rolled his eyes "You know I can't do that." He had responsibilities to Nohr. It was miracle enough he had convinced Xander to let him take this impromptu trip to Hoshido for the festival. A festival Leo still had no idea about. What were they even celebrating this time around? Hoshido seemed to have festivals and celebrations for so many useless reasons.

"You could if you had a backbone." Takumi rolled up his obscenely long list before letting out a sigh "But I guess we can cut some things out. You need to see the cherry blossom show though! We can't cut that."

"What in the world is a cherry blossom show?" The Nohrian inquired as he followed the other prince out of the room.

Takumi groaned "Its the whole reason for the celebration! Its the time of year when cherry blossoms bloom! Did you even read the letter I sent to you?"

Leo would be lying if he said he did. He just saw the word 'celebration' and used it as an excuse to travel to Hoshido. Xander would kill him if he found out the only reason he traveled there was to see a flower bloom.

"I skimmed it. Hoshido really celebrates the maturity of a flower?" He responded, not a lie but not entirely the truth either.

The Hoshidan prince groaned once more as he opened the door to another room. "Its not just some flower. Cherry blossoms are special to Hoshido. Now get moving." Takumi practically shoved Leo into the room.

The blond blinked in surprise and felt a shudder run up his spine when he saw the terrifying face of Oboro. "What...what is this?" He turned around to Takumi who held the same eerie looking expression.

"You can't go to the festival in that." Takumi gestured to Leo's Nohrian clothing "You'll stick out like a sore thumb and probably die of heat stroke."

Leo already figured he'd stick out amongst the crowd. Blond hair wasn't necessarily common in Hoshido. His clothes were rather inappropriate for Hoshido's warm climate though.

"What are you suggesting I wear?" The Nohrian asked but didn't get a response as Oboro dragged him over to take his measurements.

His question wasn't answered until the woman pulled out fabric upon fabric and immediately started sewing. Leo wasn't sure he'd ever seen someone work that fast before to make a piece of clothing.

Soon enough the blond found himself being forced to change into a purple and yellow yukata. Leo supposed he should thank Oboro for sticking with his kingdoms colors. Takumi practically beamed when he saw the garment on the Nohrian prince.

"It looks better than I would have thought! Nice job Oboro." The Hoshidan high fived his retainer.

"Naturally. Even on such short notice it looks fantastic." The woman responded. She straightened out the yukata so it fit perfectly on Leo.

The blond glanced over himself and huffed "Its too loose."

"We all can't wear skin tight clothing like you Nohrians." Takumi rolled his eyes before grabbing hold of Leo's arm and leading him out of the room. Leo could practically hear Oboro's cackle as Takumi whisked him away.

 _'Gods, how do you walk in these things?'_ Leo glanced down at the sandals he was forced to wear, almost falling out of them as Takumi practically sprinted down the hall. "Takumi! Slow down!"

"No time for that! Come on!" The Hoshidan urged, tightening his grip on the others arm. Leo had to shield his eyes from the sun as they exited Castle Shirasagi. Takumi still hadn't let go of him, even as they approached the festival.

Takumi waited until they were in the middle of the bustling crowd before finally releasing Leo's arm. The blond huffed as he pulled up the sleeve of the yukata back onto his shoulder. Had Takumi pulled any harder the damned garment might have come undone. Leo had no desire to show all of Hoshido his underclothes.

The Hoshidan prince took in a deep breath before smiling at his friend "Isn't this great?"

Leo scowled. The different smells from the food vendors was nauseating, to say the least. He wasn't big on the many people shoving by them either. Did no one know how to treat either prince with respect? Or was Hoshido laid back enough to not find a problem with it?

"What is that strong odor?" He asked, trying to find where the strongest of the smells was coming from. It smelled like burning seafood.

Takumi raised a brow but seemed to know what Leo was talking about as he pointed to one of the stands "The takoyaki? Oh! Thats on the list! Come on!" He immediately latched onto the blond's arm again and dragged him closer to the offending smell.

Leo had to use his yukata sleeve to cover his nose as they approached the vendor. He knew he was being rude by doing such a thing but- _'GODS! It smells atrocious'_

The vendor didn't seem to mind and Takumi seemed overly eager to order both him and Leo some of...whatever it was. The food was rolled into a ball and put on a stick before being handed to the men. Leo slowly used his free hand to take the stick. He had to ask though, it was driving him mad.

"What exactly is it?"

"Octopus tentacles." The Hoshidan prince said rather casually before taking a bite of his food. Leo felt the nausea in his stomach rising. It was octopus. That was disgusting.

He waited until they were a good distance away from the stand before holding his stick out to Takumi. The Hoshidan had more than half his share eaten by now. "Take this."

"You don't want it?" Takumi frowned.

"I don't eat octopus." Leo urged the other man to take it. The smell was still too overpowering.

Takumi's brow furrowed and he shook his head "You haven't even tried it."

"It smells atrocious."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. Listen, I tried those nasty snails of yours in Nohr-"

"Snails are not nasty. They are a delicacy and-"

Takumi cut him off by putting up a hand "The least you could do is try the takoyaki."

Leo felt a frown etch across his own face as he looked from Takumi to the takoyaki. It didn't look overly appealing, but it didn't look truly disgusting either. The smell was the only issue. He sighed and pinched his nose before taking a bite of the octopus. He heard Takumi snort as he chewed the piece of food.

It didn't taste bad. It was definitely foreign to him, but not bad. Leo swallowed and immediately felt the Hoshidan prince elbow him in the ribs.

"Not so bad, right?" Takumi had the most smug look on his face and Leo almost wanted to punch it off him. He had a better idea though.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I wouldn't eat it everyday though." He held the stick out for Takumi to take again. The gray haired man huffed before plucking the stick from Leo's hand.

"Such a whin-" The Hoshidan had no chance to finish as Leo pressed his lips against Takumi's. It was a rather short kiss, but enough to wipe the smug look from Takumi's face. Now it was Leo's turn to look smug.

"You were saying?" Leo asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The blush spreading across Takumi's face was a sight to behold.

The Hoshidan gave the other man a shove, eliciting a chuckle from Leo. "You're such a jerk! Gods, maybe it was a bad idea to invite you here."

Leo just continued to laugh as he took Takumi's free hand. He calmed down enough to gently plant a kiss on the others hand. Takumi's blush only got redder. "You would have regretted not inviting me. Don't you wish for me to see the cherry blossoms bloom?"

The Hoshidan huffed but made no attempt to pull his hand away "Maybe. As long as you continue to act like this and not like a grumpy pants."

Leo pulled Takumi's hand away from his mouth and held it tightly "Me? Grumpy? Perish the thought. I'm sure the flowers are lovely." He leaned in closer to Takumi's ear and smirked "Though not as lovely as seeing you blush."

The Nohrian laughed once more as Takumi gave an exaggerated huff "You call me insufferable...yet you are just...so insufferable yourself right now!"

Leo noted the small smirk that appeared on the Hoshidan's face. He couldn't help but return the gesture "Truly, I am insufferable. But only around you."


	12. Late Night Raid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asugi and Nina break into a mansion to steal a ring. Asugi bets that he can find the ring before Nina. With the challenge accepted, both need to get through traps to obtain it. Too bad Asugi has something else up his sleeve.

"You still haven't told me what it is we're stealing." Nina huffed, watching as Asugi carefully picked the lock to the mansion.

They wouldn't have to worry about the owners being home and catching them. The residents of the 'humble' abode were at some play, thats at least what Asugi had told her. Whether this was true or not, Nina didn't know. But she didn't want to think that the ninja would botch a job just to annoy her with lies.

"Not stealing, hotcakes. Borrowing." Asugi smirked as he unlocked the door, letting it fall open slowly.

"We are breaking into their house and taking something. Thats stealing." The outlaw shoved by her companion as she stepped into the mansion. She gave the entrance a once over before looking back at Asugi "My dad says stealing is wrong."

"Since when do you listen to your old man?" He asked, carefully shutting the door behind him. Though it wasn't like it mattered seeing as no one was there.

Nina giggled "Never." She looked back and examined the main entrance. "Now where is this little treasure you were talking about?" Nina took a few steps towards the stairs before starting to walk up them.

Asugi didn't have time to call out as the steps suddenly flattened out and turned into a ramp. Nina quickly grabbed onto the railing to prevent herself from falling down. She huffed hearing her companion laugh.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention. The owners might be gone but they have this place loaded with traps." Asugi popped a lollipop into his mouth. He avoided the stairs (now a ramp) and made his way over to an archway leading to a hallway.

"That would have been great to know. Jerk." Nina kept a tight hold of the railing, not wanting to slide down since she had practically been halfway up the stairs by the time they flattened out.

"Wouldn't have been as much fun though." Asugi responded, glancing over his shoulder "Why don't we make this interesting? Lets see which of us can get passed all the traps and find the treasure first?"

Nina gave him the harshest glare she could muster "Thats not fair! You already know where it is!"

"Nope. No idea where its at. I know its here but not in which room." He turned around to be facing in her direction, a smug grin planted on his face.

Nina's glare only got more intense "Are you going to tell me what exactly it is I'm supposed to be looking for?" She must have been crazy to even be considering taking this bet. Asugi looked so smug and probably was just lying about not knowing where the treasure was. Even so, Nina could never back down from a challenge.

Once Asugi picked up on the girl's interest, his smug smirk grew "A ring." He promptly turned around again, heading down the hall.

"Thats all you are going to give me?" She called after him, already pulling herself up the stairs/ramp by using the side rail.

"You'll know it when you see it!" He answered, already ducking into one of the rooms.

The outlaw huffed before pulling herself up the rest of the stairway turned ramp. No one would be stupid enough to put a treasure on the first floor. She had the advantage by starting on the second floor.

She started down the hall, peeking into rooms and scanning them over before immediately closing them. She had to hold back a yelp when she opened a door and something came flying at her.

Nina looked behind her where a dagger had implanted itself into the wall. She sighed in relief, having managed to avoid the weapon. She peeked into the room quickly, seeing no ring before moving on.

She checked a few more doors, giggling when she heard Asugi swear from elsewhere in the mansion. What a fool. Nina narrowly dodged a few more dagger laced rooms, almost considering giving this up. A ring wasn't worth almost getting nailed in the face with a dagger. What was so special about this ring anyway?

Nina hoped, for Asugi's sake, that this ring was worth a lot of money that could be given to some hungry civilians. She slowly opened the door to another room, immediately pressing herself against the wall next to the door as she waited for daggers to spring out. When no daggers came she slowly peeked in.

Oh the sight she saw was adorable.

Nina stepped into the room with the widest smirk on her face "Having some trouble?"

Asugi glared at her through the net he was currently trapped in. "Oh ha ha. Shut up and help me out."

"You're a ninja. Don't you have those star thingies you can use to cut through?" She questioned, but regardless she knelt down on the floor and pulled an arrow from the quiver, using the head to try and cut the net.

"Shurikens. Not star thingies." Asugi smirked as he watched Nina cut through the net "Besides, I like watching you do all the hard work."

The outlaw rolled her eyes "I can leave you here, ya know."

"Please don't. My candy rations are low."

It took longer than she would have liked, mainly because Asugi refused to help, but she got him free. She slapped the back of his head once the net fell from around him "You call yourself a ninja? Pathetic."

"It was one time, hotcakes. Don't get your panties in a knot." Nina could feel her face heat up so she hit the ninja again for good measure.

"Can we just find this ring and go? I'm tired of fearing for my life in this nuthouse!"

Asugi nodded at her complaint and responded further by walking passed her. Nina raised a brow before following curiously. She watched Asugi walk to the end of the hall to a door she hadn't yet reached. Her confusion suddenly shifted to realization.

"You did know where it was!" She screeched, causing the ninja to wince from her volume.

"I did." He winked "But I thought our bet would still be fun."

Nina crossed her arms "This was such a waste of time."

Asugi opened the door with a chuckle "You won't be saying that soon." He moved out of the way so she could see into the room "Ladies first."

"I'm not walking into a trap."

"Just go into the damned room, Nina."

The girl let out what seemed to be the hundredth huff of the night. She peeked into the room, looking for any sign of a trap that could be triggered. She spotted a trip wire on the floor that could activate a trap should either pull it. She carefully stepped over it, advising Asugi to do the same.

Nina spotted the ring under a glass case in the middle of the room. How cliché. Had she not been the hopeless romantic sort she would have rolled her eyes. She kept her eyes peeled for any more traps. Asugi walked close behind her. The usually calm ninja seemed nervous and tense. Nina wondered if there really was some trick up his sleeve.

The outlaw carefully lifted the glass case that contained the ring, hesitating as she waited for any traps to be triggered. When nothing happened she put the case on the floor before looking at the ring. It was rather beautiful. Engraved with different symbols and flowers. It would fetch for a good price.

She reached out for it but before her fingers could even graze it, Asugi snatched it right up. Nina turned to glare at the ninja "Give it here, je-" She stopped in her tracks when she saw Asugi kneeling on one knee, holding the ring out to her.

Was he doing what she thought he was doing? No that couldn't be it. But it REALLY looked like he was proposing "A-Asugi?"

"Listen, Nina. We've...we've dated for awhile now." The ninja avoided eye contacted as a small blush spread across his face "I think you're really great despite your...hobby. But...quirks aside, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

Nina felt herself start to blush as Asugi turned his gaze back to her. For once he looked almost gentlemanly and not like a smug jerk.

"Nina, will you marry me?"

The outlaw stared for the longest time. She stared for so long and the room grew so uncomfortably quiet that Asugi was shifting between knees just to remain comfortable.

Finally, Nina spoke "I...you planned this whole thing...just to ask for my hand?"

"Thought it'd be romantic." Asugi huffed, having grown impatient "Yes or no? Are you gonna mend or break my heart here?"

A slow smile crept across Nina's face. She knocked Asugi on his back as she wrapped her arms around him "Yes you jerk! Yes!" Nina swiped the ring from his hands and put it on, admiring the craftsmanship. She practically forgot that they were stealing it. "I still get to indulge in my people watching though."

From under her, Asugi chuckled "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Both jumped hearing the sound of a door opening and accompanied by voices. Nina quickly scrambled off of Asugi as she stood "We should probably go." She watched as her now fiancé rushed towards the window and opened it.

The ninja smirked at her and held out his hand "Shall we?"

Nina returned his smirk and daintily took his hand "We shall."


	13. Here For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi's nightmares still haunt him, even though the war is over. Azura is always there for him. Especially on his special day.

The war was over. If that was true, why was he suddenly standing in the middle of a battlefield, watching his family and friends get slaughtered around him? His sisters had been killed, his brothers still fighting to protect Hoshido.

It was a lost cause for they too soon fell. Takumi was all that was left. Takumi and Azura. He heard his wife sing to the Hoshidan soldiers to bring them motivation, but it didn't do anything. He watched helplessly as Azura was killed, just like everyone else.

Takumi felt as if he had nothing left. He might as well fall to his knees and surrender and let the Nohrian forces do with him as they wish. Probably send him to an early grave like his siblings. He stopped when he heard the sound of crying, turning to see his sons in the middle of the fight. Nohrian horses rode by them, not paying any attention to the two crying babes.

Takumi tried to call out, but he couldn't. He tried to move, but his feet remained glued to the ground. Once more all he could do was watch helplessly as his sons were trampled by the Nohrian forces.

" **TAKUMI!** "

The archer jolted awake and almost collided his forehead with Azura's as he sat up in bed. His breathing was heavy and he could feel the sweat running down his face. Sweat and tears.

Azura looked at him with kind eyes as she gently cupped his face with her hands "Another nightmare?" She questioned.

Takumi nodded. He clenched his fists and dug his nails into his palms. The pain of the action made him realize this was truly reality and not another one of his nightmares. Azura pulled him closer and rested his head against her shoulder as she rubbed his back.

The tears in his eyes had slowed and he wiped the remaining ones from his cheeks. Judging by the fact that Azura was dressed and didn't look disheveled, it was obvious she'd been up for awhile. The Hoshidan prince glanced over at the window, the sun was barely up. Why had Azura woken up so early today?

"It just...it seemed so real." He finally spoke, holding back anymore tears that threatened to fall "Everyone was dead a-and I...I couldn't-"

"Shhhhh." The songstress began to rub his back, speaking to him so low it was almost a whisper "Everything is fine. Everyone is safe."

Takumi felt blessed to have Azura as his wife. Despite his hateful words and actions to her in the past she still found it in her to forgive him. She forgave him enough to fall in love with him and raise a family. She loved him enough to put up with his constant nightmares.

Some times Takumi felt as if he didn't deserve her. He always felt this way after she'd comfort him after he'd had a nightmare. She'd sing softly to him and whisper words of encouragement.

_'I should be doing these things for her. Not the other way around.'_

Takumi's crying had completely stopped and he slowly lifted his head from his wife's shoulder. She gave him a soft smile and kissed his forehead "Better?" She asked.

He gave a small nod in response. "Why are you up so early?" He asked. Azura raised a brow and made a face that made Takumi feel rather stupid. She looked as if it was obvious as to why she was up. Before she could answer his question they heard the sound of shuffling feet and voices from outside the door.

Takumi was even more surprised "Why are they up so early?" Their children usually slept in, mostly Kiragi. Some times it was a chore to get their youngest son out of bed.

Azura giggled "Do you not remember what today is?"

Now it was Takumi's turn to look confused. It wasn't either of their birthdays. It wasn't their wedding anniversary. He finally gave up and shook his head "Whats today?"

Azura kissed his forehead again before getting up from the bed and walking to the door. Takumi watched his wife curiously as she opened their bedroom door and both boys flew into the room.

Shigure, their oldest son, carried a tray in his hands. Always the proper child, he was dressed in his Hoshidan best, walking proudly as he brought the tray to the bed. On further inspection, Takumi could see they tray was covered with breakfast foods.

Kiragi, unlike his brother, was still dressed in his night clothes. He held two cards in his hands that Takumi could tell had been decorated by the boys. The messiest card was obviously Kiragi's. Takumi could see the excess glitter from the card falling to the floor. That would be fun to clean later.

"Whats all this?" The archer questioned. Kiragi immediately climbed onto the bed while Shigure placed the tray on Takumi's lap. Azura stood behind their oldest son, letting out another giggle.

"Its Father's Day." She finally answered him.

It took a minute for Takumi to fully register what she had said. Fathers Day? Had he really forgotten? The nightmare must have really rattled his brain if he had managed to forget a day that was meant to be special for him. The children had been talking about it all week, excited to spend a whole day dedicated to their father.

"Look dad!" Kiragi held out the cards in front of Takumi's face. Shigure huffed as he climbed onto the bed.

"Kiragi! You're going to get glitter on the food!" The oldest boy complained, gently taking his brother's arms and pulling the cards out from in front of their father's face. Kiragi just stuck his tongue out in disapproval.

Takumi chuckled and looked down at his food. It was obvious Azura had prepared most of it, as neither boy was old enough to cook. But he could tell Kiragi poured out the tea just from how over-filled the cup was. Shigure most likely had been content setting up the arrangement on the tray.

"Do you approve, father?" Shigure asked, holding Kiragi back from shoving the cards in Takumi's face again.

The archer looked to his sons and smiled "Of course I do. It looks great." This earned him a smile from both his children.

"Alright, no roughhousing. Let your father eat his breakfast." Azura said, finally sitting on the bed as she separated the two children. "Kiragi, your father will see the cards after eating."

The younger boy just huffed again before putting the cards down next to Takumi. He of course put his on top "You gotta look at them right after you are done! Okay?" Kiragi said, looking at his father with a serious expression.

"Right, right. I promise to look after I'm done eating." Takumi chuckled. He watched as both boys jumped off the bed to play on the floor as they waited for their father to finish eating.

Takumi shook his head before taking his chopsticks into his hands and digging into his breakfast. Azura watched him and gently started to rub his leg.

"Do you want to talk about...it...anymore?" She questioned, her smile faltering ever so slightly. Takumi shook his head in response.

"Not in front of the kids." He sighed. Takumi looked up from his food "Sorry for forgetting what day it was. I was...just so out of it."

Azura shook her head before moving up on the bed so she was cuddling up against his side "Speak no more of it. I will not fault you for it." She gently caressed his face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips "Just know I am always here for you."

Takumi felt his heart melt at the way his wife looked at him. Even if they had been married for years now, she was still has beautiful as she was the first day they started dating. She was also just as caring and considerate of his feelings.

"I know. I couldn't ask for a better wife." He said and gently leaned his forehead against hers.

"I don't hear any eating over there!" Kiragi called with a huff. Both Takumi and Azura laughed. The archer went back to eating his food as his wife cuddled closer against his side. He smiled, both from how close she was and from the sound of his children playing on the floor.

Being surrounded by them and their love, the nightmare was soon forgotten.


	14. Ode to the Fathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Subaki wish to spend Father's Day with their children, starting the day off by going for a morning Pegasus ride. Caeldori is excited but Hisame...not so much.

"M-must we really get on that...thing?"

Hisame shuddered at the thought of sitting on a pegasus. The creatures could be so unruly sometimes, especially if someone who wasn't their master sat on them. He drew his eyes away from the flying horse as Subaki laughed.

"It'll be fine, son. You're dad has ridden with me numerous times before and he's only been bucked off once." That wasn't as reassuring as Subaki intended for it to be. Hisame just let another shudder run up his spine as Hinata and Caeldori approached, guiding her own pegasus over towards them

"Alright! This is going to be a great fathers day!" Hinata cheered, wrapping an arm around Subaki's waist "Just us and the kids! And then just us later." The older samurai smirked, giving his husband a poke in the ribs.

A blush creeped across the sky knights face "H-Hinata, please! Not in front of the children!"

Hisame rolled his eyes as Caeldori let out a soft giggle. This seemed to be the most romantic thing in the world to her. Meanwhile to Hisame it was just...bleh. He loved and cared for his fathers very much, but spending the day riding a pegasus was not on the top of his list for things to do on father's day.

Hinata removed his arm from around Subaki's waist as he faced the two teens "I'm with Caeldori and Hisame you are with your father." He announced, as if they didn't already know the setup.

Hinata helped Caeldori prep her pegasus for take off as Subaki grabbed hold of Hisame's arm and led him back over to his wandering pegasus. "Come on son, no time to waste. Don't want your sister and dad taking off before us do we?"

 _'Yes. Yes we do.'_ Hisame didn't voice his concerns out loud as his father helped him up onto the creature. "Father, I am capable of getting up myself. I am no longer a child." He huffed.

Subaki just laughed and patted his head. Hisame's protesting went unheard as the sky knight hoisted the teen up onto the saddle before sitting himself behind the young samurai.

Hinata and Caeldori were ready to go, the teen girl in the front while Hinata held onto her waist with the biggest and most excited grin Hisame had ever seen out of him.

"Ready son?" Subaki asked, snapping Hisame from his thoughts.

_'No.'_

"Yes, father." Best to keep his reservations to himself for now.

The young samurai clutched the pegasus tightly as they took off into the air, his sister and dad following close behind. Subaki let out a soft chuckle at the way Hisame was holding onto the flying creature for dear life.

"Relax son. I would never let you fall." This still didn't quell Hisame's fears. He heard Hinata let out a loud 'whoop!' from behind them followed by Caeldori giggling. He was glad his sister was at least enjoying herself.

"Hisame, lessen your grip. You are pinching the poor creature." Subaki advised. He moved one hand off the reins so that he could cup one of Hisame's hands and pry it from the pegasus mane.

"S-sorry, father." The young samurai responded, loosening his hold. This action seemed to make their flight a lot smoother. Hisame mentally scolded himself for having been distracting the poor creature.

He kept his eyes trained on the back of the pegasus's head, not wanting to look down and see how high up they were. He only tore his gaze away from the back of the creatures head when he heard his dad let out a loud cheer as he and Caeldori flew by them.

"Father!" Caeldori called, letting go of the rein for only a second to wave at her father and brother.

"Subaki! Watch what our little sky knight can do!" Hinata called over. Caeldori used the reins to guide her pegasus into doing a back flip in the air. Hisame felt his heart stop just by watching them. Gods, he hoped his father wouldn't be foolish enough to try that trick.

Luckily, fate was taking some pity on him today. Subaki shook his head and gave Hinata a disapproving look "Safety first while in the air. Have I not beat that into your brain enough?"

"Apparently not. I know some things I've beaten into you though." The older samurai called over with a laugh. Caeldori immediately elbowed her dad in the stomach, causing Hinata to let out a loud 'oof'.

"Dad, please. Show some decency." She scolded. Hisame couldn't help but chuckle at his sister's reaction. Even she could only put up with their dad's antics for so long.

"Ah, so some part of you is enjoying this." Hisame felt Subaki's gaze against the back of his neck. He was most certainly not enjoying this. The chuckle was only in response to seeing his dad be scolded by his sister. He was most certainly not starting to relax. No siree.

"I...this may be somewhat enjoyable." He finally admitted, blushing slightly from embarrassment. The soft chuckle that came from Subaki only made him blush more.

"You sound just like your dad when I first took him out to fly. Only you aren't clinging to my back like he was." Subaki chuckled again at the fond memory. He momentarily glanced over at the still cheering Hinata before looking back to his son "You and Hinata are so much alike."

"Father, please. Do not insult me in such a way." Hisame huffed. The reaction only earned him more laughter from his father.

They spent an hour just gliding through the air, occasionally watching Caeldori perform some trick with Hinata's urging. While it had become relaxing and an enjoyable experience, Hisame was relieved when they finally landed and he could place his feet on the ground.

"I can't believe you had her taking such risks. Honestly Hinata, do you ever think things through?" Subaki huffed, getting off his pegasus before making his way over to his husband and daughter.

"Father, its fine. Dad gave me the courage to try out new tricks that could be used in battle." Caeldori stood up for Hinata.

Subaki huffed, obviously annoyed, but Hinata still held that same goofy grin on his face. "Lighten up, Subaki. The kids had fun and I bet you did to. Good start to fathers day." The older samurai wrapped an arm around his daughter shoulders, bringing her in for a hug. Hinata grabbed hold of Subaki's arm too, bringing him in to join the embrace.

The only one left out was Hisame, who was perfectly okay with that. He hadn't been interested in hugs since he was a child. He couldn't avoid the look both his parents gave him as he made an attempt to back away.

"Hisame! Get over here!" Hinata called over with a smile.

The young samurai shook his head "No, I am content right here." He didn't have much say in the matter though as Hinata released his current 'victims' and trudged over towards Hisame.

The teen took some steps back and shook his head before being hoisted up into his dad's arms. "D-dad! Stop! For Gods sake, I'm not a child!"

Hinata just laughed as he walked back over to Subaki and Caeldori, who immediately reinitiated the hug once the two samurai joined them.

Hisame let out a huff, pretending to act annoyed with the whole situation. In reality he was rather glad to be in the middle of the whole embrace, surrounded by the three people he loved the most in his life.

Of course Hinata had to eventually ruin their moment of silence.

"So...whose ready to go get their butt kicked in a katana fight?"

"Honestly Hinata, you are such a child."

Hisame couldn't help but join in as he and his sister laughed.


	15. Justice Prevails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Kana are the Defender Squad and their mission today is to pick up trash! But bad luck can always strike...even to the luckiest of people.

"Then I skewer the trash! Giving it no chance to escape by riding the wind!" Percy used the dull and rusted lance to stab through the piece of discarded paper before promptly putting it in the garbage bag.

"I caught another criminal! Trying to escape his fate!" Kana did the same action with his rusty lance.

Both young boys had decided to take on trash duty, enjoying the time they got to spend together while picking up discarded papers and rotten fruits. Most wouldn't find trash duty anywhere close to being enjoyable, but Percy and Kana weren't most people.

"There is so much trash today! When did we get so many litter bugs around camp?" Kana complained, breaking his role for only a second before skewering another piece of trash with a mighty roar.

"If we catch the culprit of these multiple messes we need to bring him to justice." Percy declared with a huff. At the current rate they would never pick up all the trash in time to join the older kids on patrol. "Its like it keeps growing."

A gust of wind occurred causing the rest of the trash to go flying elsewhere. Both boys groaned as the trash was spread amongst the ground. The wind had been causing them nothing but trouble all day. No matter how fast they worked they could never seem to get all the trash into their bags before the wind decided to blow and carry it all away.

Percy fell to his knees and yelled up at the sky "This is impossible!"

"D-don't give up yet, Percy!" Kana quickly tried to pull Percy back to his feet "The Defender Squad never gives up! Right?"

The wyvern rider nodded with a sigh, picking himself up off the ground. He brushed the dirt off his pants before giving his friend a triumphant smirk "You're right! As commanding officer I need to set a good example! We must never give up!"

"Thats the spirit!" Kana cheered. Both boys grabbed their garbage bags and went about collecting more trash. They didn't let the wind bring them down. It only caused them to work even faster.

They both collapsed onto the ground after picking up the last bit of trash around camp. They tried to regain their breath after practically spending an entire day running around and chasing discarded trash.

"We...we did it!" Percy wheezed out. He held his fist in the air as a signal for triumph "D-Defender Squad...goooooo."

Kana managed to get out a small chuckle. They were finally done. Now the real question was if they could move enough to join the others on patrol.

Percy took another deep breath before sitting up and grabbing his garbage bag "Now...now we just gotta take this garbage to be burnt up and the we're done."

"Where is the nearest mage?" Kana asked. The camps garbage was usually taken to a mage to be turned to cinders. It was the easiest way to dispose of their trash.

"I think I saw Ophelia's dad somewhere nearby. Oh! There he is!" Percy smiled, jumping to his feet with garbage bag in hand. Kana did the same.

Percy started to run towards the mage only to see Odin drop a piece of paper on the ground and leave it there. Immediately the child's blood started to boil.

"Litter bug!" He called, attracting Odin's attention. The wyvern rider continued to sprint his way towards the mage. He and Kana had just spent possibly **hours** picking up trash and the mage was just going to throw more on the ground? Unacceptable!

Percy was so full of fury that he failed to notice the rock jutting up from the ground. "Percy! Be careful!" Kana called much too late. The wyvern rider faced planted into the ground, sending his garbage bag soaring into the air.

The contents of discarded papers, fruits and other items spread across the ground before being scattered around by a gust of wind. Percy looked up from the ground and felt like he would cry just from seeing the trash be taken by the wind.

Odin looked down at the child with some confusion laced across his face. "L-litter bug!" Percy shouted, pointing right at the mage. Odin became even more confused until he spotted his dropped paper on the ground.

"Ah! Thank you, young hero! I wouldn't want to have lost this!" Odin's confusion shifted to delight as he bent down and picked up his dropped note. "Er...bad luck though with the rest of the undesirables."

The mage went along his merry way as Percy stared in disbelief. Bad luck? He never had bad luck? He was full of nothing but good luck! Thats when he couldn't take it anymore and tears started to roll down his face.

Kana was taken back at first by the sudden appearance of tears. He knelt down next to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder "P-Percy? You okay?" He asked "D-did you get hurt from the fall?"

Percy shook his head as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Heroes didn't cry! Especially heroes like him!

"Its...its fine. Just...all that trash." He looked around to see all their hard work scattered across the camp grounds. It would take another hour to pick it all back up and that wasn't even counting if the wind would blow it all away again "It really is bad luck."

What if he was becoming like his father? Yes, he wanted to be strong and have the same sense of patriotism as his dad but he did NOT want to inherit his bad luck tendencies. Percy would die if he had to suffer through such horrible luck all the time.

"It...it was only one time! We can get it all again!" Kana helped to lift Percy into a sitting position, keeping his hands on the others shoulders "Teammates help other teammates! And we're teammates right?"

Percy blinked a few times as he adjusted to the sight of Kana's bright smile. The little dragon really was good at showing his emotions, especially when he smiled. A smile of his own started to creep on Percy's face and he nodded "Right! We can do this again!" He hoped.

Kana giggled and pulled his friend into a hug. This really caught Percy off guard but nonetheless he gently patted his teammate on the back, letting him know he appreciated the gesture.

The little dragon held the wyvern rider at arms length before planting a kiss on the others forehead. Percy felt his entire face heat up as he slapped a hand over his own forehead "W-what was that for?" He asked.

Kana looked confused by the reaction "Mama always does that when I get an injury. You have a big bruise forming right there." He said and pointed to where he had just kissed. "Mama always said that kisses make everything better!"

Percy continued to hold his hand over the kissed spot. He soon smiled and gave a nod "My mom says the same thing!" He chuckled before bouncing up from the ground "Come on Kana! We've got work to do." He scooped his empty garbage bag up from the ground. Kana did the same.

"Defender Squad...GO!"


	16. Muscle Bound Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro definitely got his love for arm wrestling from his father. He and Ryoma should have known better than to challenge Kagero though. She can use muscles they don't even know about to win.

"Come on mom! It'll be fun!" Shiro gave Kagero the widest smile he could muster. The ninja looked at her son with a sigh. He'd been hounding her all day to arm wrestle him. She figured this was mostly due to the fact her son wanted to refuel his ego after losing to Ryoma.

"For the last time Shiro, no." Kagero took a sip of her tea to calm her nerves. She loved her son dearly but there were times he could be such a persistent brat. Both she and Shiro should consider themselves lucky that Kagero had an abundance of patience.

Matters had only been made worse when Ryoma started to encourage their son's behavior. She figured her husband only joined in because he knew she could beat Shiro.

"Come on, indulge the boy. He wants to test his mothers strength." Ryoma laughed, placing a hand on Kagero's shoulder. The ninja sighed before placing her arm on the table and getting into position.

"One match." She told her son "Then we put this to rest."

Shiro's face brightened as he took his mothers hand and got into arm-wrestling position as well "This is going to be great! Get ready to be taken down, mom!"

Kagero couldn't help but smirk, knowing the outcome of this match. Ryoma clasped his giant hand over theirs before asking if they were ready. Both mother and son nodded before Ryoma released their hands to indicate they could start.

Shiro never stood a chance.

It was over in a second. Kagero slammed her son's hand down, leaving him to stare at her in disbelief. Ryoma let out a hearty laugh.

"Ah son, your mother is much too strong to fall to you. She has years of experience!" The Hoshidan king proclaimed, patting his son on the back.

Shiro still looked to be utterly confused by what just happened. His mother had bested him in less than a second. She practically slammed his arm down like it was nothing. He huffed before getting into position again "Rematch!"

Kagero shook her head, taking another sip of her tea "No rematch. I told you that was it."

"Come on, mom! Rematch! I know your style now!"

The ninja raised a brow. Her style? Did she really even have a style? She had just used brute force to put her son in his place. Kagero once more shook her head "No Shiro. We are done."

Shiro groaned and rested his head on the table. He glanced up at his mother only a fraction of a second later "Mom, come on please. Throw me a bone here."

"I already threw you one. Now run along Shiro." Kagero said, waving him away with her hand. Shiro huffed and slid off the table, only for Ryoma to take his spot almost immediately.

"We haven arm wrestled in awhile." Her husband said with a confident smirk "Why not see how good you've gotten since the war ended?" Some times Kagero and Ryoma (along with Saizo on occasion) would arm wrestle, just for fun. Ryoma was usually the victor, and both his retainers knew how much their master liked to brag about it. He'd gotten more humble since taking the throne though.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to cry like Shiro is." The ninja teased.

"I am not crying!" Shiro huffed, standing by the table with his arms crossed. Ryoma let out a hearty laugh before getting his arm into position.

"Well?" He questioned.

Kagero sighed and put her tea down once more. It seemed today would not be as peaceful as she hoped it to be. She got into position and took her husbands hand "Shiro, if you will."

Their son rolled his eyes before placing his hand on top of his parents conjoined hands "3...2...1...GO!"

And it was over.

Ryoma stared in disbelief as Kagero's hand held his down. Shiro looked just as surprised. The woman could only smirk at the faces her husband and child made. She'd have to commit those expressions to memory.

"Well, that was fun." She let go of Ryoma's hand and cracked her knuckles "Now close your mouths before flies get in."

Ryoma's mouth snapped shut but Shiro's remained wide open. It took her husband another second to stutter out a response "H-how...when?"

"Oh Ryoma, I let you win those previous matches." Kagero leaned across the table and gave Ryoma's cheek a gentle pat "I couldn't upset milord."

Shiro shoved his father off of his seat "Mom! Please! Come on! One more round!" Ryoma returned the shove.

"Leave your mother be! If she is giving anyone a rematch it'll be me!" The Hoshidan king huffed.

Kagero couldn't hold back the soft chuckle that escaped her as she witnessed her husband and son argue over who would get a rematch against her. She got up from her seat only to get closer to her two favorite men and pulling them into a hug. Her smaller arms wrapped around as much of the two as they could, effectively ending their argument.

_'Boys will be boys, I suppose.'_


	17. No One Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro wants their wedding to go perfectly, both to stop his dads nagging and so he can see Asugi in a wedding kimono. Asugi honestly just wants cake.

It was honestly weird and so surreal. One minute he was just Shiro's retainer, the next they were best friends. Then after that, becoming boyfriends was the next option. Finally they had become engaged. Shiro was his fiancé. When the heck did that happen?

Asugi huffed as he looked himself over in the mirror. The wedding kimono he wore was much heavier and harder to walk around in than his usual ninja garb. It felt so uncomfortable and he hated it, but it was insisted that he wear it for the wedding, no matter how much he protested.

The only thing he was really excited for when it came to the wedding was the cake. Not that he wasn't excited to marry Shiro (though he still had some reservations over that), but than again...cake.

_'It better be damned huge if this is the nonsense I'm going through.'_

The ninja looked toward the door as his soon-to-be husband stepped in, a dorky smirk spread across his face.

"Well don't you look special?" Shiro chuckled, letting the door fall shut behind him.

Asugi rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small blush that spread across his cheeks "Why are you here? Isn't it taboo to see your betrothed in their wedding rags?"

"Pretty sure thats only a Nohr thing." Shiro took a few steps closer until he was standing directly in front of Asugi. That stupid smirk was still etched across his face. "Besides, I wanted to catch a glimpse of you in this early." He tugged gently at the kimono sleeve.

The ninja huffed before turning away to look himself over in the mirror again "I can barely walk in this thing. Why can't we just get married in our usual rags and move on with it?"

Shiro held up his hands defensively before stating his case "Hey, I'd rather do that too. But dad rather see us have a more formal setup. Your old man was in full agreement."

Asugi mentally cursed his father out. Even if their relationship wasn't as strained as it used to be he still sometimes hated that man. It was currently one of those times.

"The cake at this shindig better be gigantic." His fiancé laughed "I mean it, Shiro! It better touch the ceiling!"

"I'll be sure to let the bakers know of your unrealistic order." Shiro spun Asugi around so they were facing each other once more. He looked him over, causing Asugi's blush to redden. Only around Shiro did he ever find himself blushing so profusely. It was anyone's guess as to how they started off hating each other.

"Man, I just can't get over how great you look in this thing!" Shiro practically beamed as he looked over the kimono. He only frowned when he noticed Asugi's headband still wrapped around his head and the lollipop sticking out from his mouth.

Shiro reached him and pulled on the stick of the sucker "Hey, get rid of this. You're going to ruin the kimono."

Asugi snorted and used his teeth to keep a good grip on the lollipop as he spoke "I'm careful with my candy. Besides, when have you ever worried about staining clothes?"

"I worry when you might stain your wedding clothes. The tailors would kill us both if it gets ruined." Asugi relented and let Shiro take the lollipop from his mouth. He let out a huff though to voice his discontent. "You can't wear the headband during the wedding either, you know that right?"

The ninja groaned and raised his hand to slip off the headband "I'm aware. I'm only trying the damned kimono on you know? We aren't actually getting married yet."

His fiancé just laughed again and plucked the headband from Asugi's fingers. "I know, its just...I can't wait." His voice grew softer. So soft it rather surprised Asugi. Shiro was always so loud and boisterous.

The Hoshidan prince took the ninja's hands after setting down the lollipop and headband. He gave a gentle squeeze and a small blush spread across his cheeks "I'm just excited...is all. Soon we'll be official. No more nagging about when we'll take this relationship seriously from our dads. No more of the whole prince and his retainer nonsense. Just me and my husband."

Asugi felt his cheeks and ears burning up as his blush spread. _'Gods, what does this loser do to me?'_

"You make it sound so cheesy." The ninja snorted. The comment only earned him a frown from Shiro. Oh, so the prince was deciding to be serious for once. Asugi felt the other man give his hands another squeeze.

"I mean it. I look forward to being able to sweep you off your feet and call you my husband. I'm tired of the looks we get every time we'd call each other boyfriends. How'd people would look at us like we were just stupid kids."

Asugi could relate to that. No one, not even their close friends, thought this relationship between the prince and retainer would go far. Asugi couldn't say he had much hope either. He honestly expected Shiro to drop him once he saw a pretty girl. He held onto that expectation until Shiro proposed.

"It'll be nice." The ninja agreed with a small nod "I expect you to have a pastry waiting for me every morning."

Asugi smiled when that got him a chuckle from Shiro. "The biggest pastry I can find." He said before leaning closer and giving Asugi a kiss on the cheek.

The ninja whined and leaned up, wanting more than just a peck on the cheek. Shiro laughed and gently pressed down on Asugi's shoulders to get him away from the prince's face. "Save that for the wedding."

Asugi only whined more "You really gonna keep me waiting, hotpants?" he asked with a huff.

Shiro released his hold on his fiancé's shoulders. He smirked before turning around and walking towards the door. Asugi raised a brow and looked utterly confused until Shiro glanced over his shoulder.

"I won't keep you waiting long. My room. Ten minutes. Oh, and...wear the kimono." He said before stepping out into the hallway.

Asugi looked utterly dumbfounded at first, still feeling the heat on his face from how much he was blushing. He didn't move until Shiro poked his head back into the room, looking rather annoyed.

"Well?"

"Well what? You said ten minutes!" The ninja huffed.

"You should know that I meant now. You block head." Shiro returned the huff with one of his own.

Asugi rolled his eyes and made his way over to the door, giving Shiro a shove on the way out "Lets go little cheese."

"Soon to be big cheese." The prince smirked, draping an arm over Asugi's shoulders "With my wine on the side."

Asugi just laughed as they made their way down the hall. Maybe he could get used to this whole marriage thing after all.


	18. Shopping Spree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikoto wishes to get closer to Azura by taking her on a shopping trip. Too bad shopping isn't necessarily Azura's favorite activity.

Azura hadn't been a big fan of shopping while in Nohr. Which was mostly due to the attempts on her life and the constant bullying that occurred when she'd step outside the castle. But she also just never found any enjoyment from spending money on useless materials. If her clothes were still in good condition, why buy new ones? If a stave still had one use left, wait until it is completely useless before getting a new one.

The attitude towards shopping didn't change when she was taken to Hoshido. Azura would buy the occasional gift for her 'siblings' here and there. Mostly on birthdays. But she never spent money on herself or wasted it on anything frivolous.

Those were the reasons why when Lady Mikoto approached her to go shopping, she promptly refused.

"Azura, I feel as though we don't get to spend much time together as of late and you are always buying gifts for me and your siblings. Why not let me spoil you?" Mikoto asked, gently taking the songstresses hands.

Azura shook her head and once more refused "I cannot ask you to waste money on me."

"Dear, it won't be a waste. I'm offering." The queen gave Azura's hand a gentle squeeze. "Please. Allow me to spend this time with you.

Azura's frown deepened. She didn't wish to waste Mikoto's time and she for sure didn't wish to go shopping. But the queen looked so hopeful and had practically acted like a mother to her, even though the songstress was meant to be a hostage.

"Alright. But please, don't feel as though you have to buy me anything." She finally agreed. Mikoto's gentle smile only grew bigger.

"Excellent! Oh I'll spoil you rotten." She pinched Azura's cheek. This action oddly enough got Azura to smile. Some rarely saw this side of Mikoto. Most saw the serious queen persona she put on. Not the caring and bubbly mother she truly was.

Mikoto's retainers escorted them as they exited the castle and wandered into the streets of the capital. As usual the streets were overflowed with people, most greeting the two with smiles and hellos.

Even though the Hoshidan people had accepted her, Azura still harbored wary feelings toward them all. Even when she was royalty in Nohr she still had to fend for her life. Hoshido was a kinder place and Mikoto did not allow any one to harass the songstress. Even so...Azura still felt as though she was a stranger intruding on another families affairs.

She felt Mikoto take her arm and steer her toward a store. A clothing store to be exact. Some of the outfits looked rather expensive and not at all something Azura would wear. But she maintained a smile when she saw Mikoto's eyes light up as they looked through the different outfits.

"This would look lovely on you." The queen said, holding up a light blue kimono to Azura. "Oh, but just a bit too big." She immediately placed it back down."

"Queen Mikoto, please don't feel like you need to-"

Mikoto held up a hand to stop Azura mid-sentence. She looked at the songstress with the most gentle eyes Those eyes reminded Azura of her own mother some times. Just something about them looked familiar.

"Please dear. I ask that you refer to me as Mikoto. The title isn't necessary." The older woman said before continuing to look through the clothes. Not too long ago the queen had asked Azura to refer to her as mother, if she was comfortable with it. But the songstress could never find herself wanting to refer to the woman as such.

Azura sighed and pretended to look through some of the clothes herself. Mikoto made it sound so easy to refer to her just by her name and no title. She was the queen's hostage for goodness sake. It would be inappropriate to refer to her captor so informally. And yet...Mikoto had always treated her with nothing but kindess.

"Try this one on." Azura was snapped out of her thoughts as Mikoto thrust a white kimono into her arms. The songstress blinked in surprise and didn't have any time to protest as the queen ushered her behind a changing screen.

"Que- Mikoto. Please, I don't need-"

"Come on now, Azura. I'm sure you'll look lovely in it."

The blue haired maiden sighed and waited for Mikoto to move away before changing into the kimono. It was rather pretty. White with light blue lining. Sewed into it was a picture of the Dawn dragon. She kept her necklace around her neck as she changed. She stepped out from behind the changing screen and did a small twirl at the queens insistence.

"It looks beautiful on you, dear. Even better than I imagined." Mikoto smiled and gently pushed the bangs from Azura's eyes "Oh, you look so much like her..." She muttered.

The songstress raised a brow "Excuse me? Like who?" The queen seemed to realize her mistake and quickly backtracked.

"O-oh! No one dear. I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn." She continued to look at Azura with some form of fondness though. Like she was looking upon the face of someone she loved dearly.

Azura wanted to question her further but Mikoto immediately changed the subject, insisting they buy the kimono. The songstress tried her best to refuse but Mikoto was too determined to get the garment. Her retainers didn't help matters by encouraging her.

Mikoto had Azura's usual clothes given to her retainers to carry around until they returned to the castle, wanting the young maiden to wear the new kimono as they continued to shop.

It seemed the queen had high intent to buy Azura everything she 'wanted'. If Azura even glanced in the direction of an object, Mikoto would immediately buy it. In less than an hour the queens retainers already had boxes and bags stacked in their arms.

"You were looking at this, correct? Why don't we-"

"Queen Mikoto! Enough!" Azura didn't mean to shout and was rather embarrassed afterwards. She didn't let her embarrassment, or the glares from the street vendors, break her resolve. She had enough. "I...I appreciate what you've gotten me. But no more. Please." The songstress begged. Most of the things Mikoto had gotten would go to waste since Azura had no need for it.

The queen frowned but nodded "I understand. I'm sorry Azura." She raised her hand and gently caressed the young woman's cheek "I just wished to get closer to you. Maybe I came on too strong though." She glanced at the plethora of items in her retainers arms. "I practically tried to buy your acceptance."

Azura smiled slightly. The queen really was just trying her best. Yes, Azura was a hostage but Mikoto had treated her like her own child. She had never been locked in a cell. She had never not had food given to her or shelter. The queen truly loved her as a daughter.

She took Mikoto's hands gently, the queen becoming surprised by the action. "I do appreciate what you've done for me. Even after all these years you have never cast me aside. I thank you for that...mother."

Mikoto looked even more surprised. Tears welled up in the sides of her eyes but a smile still crossed her face "You-"

"May we continue shopping? But may we just browse? No buying." Azura asked, squeezing Mikoto's hands gently. The older woman smiled even more and nodded.

"Of course, dear. Of course."

Not too long after, Azura and Queen Mikoto made it part of their schedule to go shopping every week. But only to browse. Never to buy.


	19. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its New Years Eve and Ryoma wants to spend it with the woman he loves. Good thing Elise loves festivals. Or at least her idea of what a festival is.

Ryoma always liked New Years. It signaled a time of change and renewal. It was a time to enjoy the Hoshidan districts annual festival. It was also the perfect place to bring Elise on a date.

The young woman held Ryoma's hand as she used her other hand to hold a candy apple. She insisted on having one as soon as they arrived on the festival grounds. Ryoma couldn't help but laugh as his girlfriend had pulled him along to the candy apple vendor. Elise was always good for a laugh among other things.

"Where are the rides?" Elise spoke up, eyeing the festival grounds as she took another bite of her treat. The older man noticed her stumble as she walked. While he was glad he got her to agree to wearing a kimono and sandals (she hadn't put up much of an argument) it was obvious she was having some difficulties.

"There are none. This isn't a carnival." Ryoma responded.

"Whaaaaaat? What about any performers with animals?"

"This isn't a circus either." Ryoma chuckled at the way Elise's lower lip stuck out as she started to pout. "There are performers though."

Elise's pout came to a quick end as her eyes lit up. She pulled on Ryoma's hand, walking in some random direction "Lets go! Lets go!"

The older man let out a hearty laugh before leading his girlfriend the other direction towards a large tent. He'd been to this festival so many times throughout his life he practically knew the layout of the land by heart.

They entered the tent which was mainly filled with children who were watching some puppet show. Most of the entertainment at the festival was meant for children but Ryoma knew Elise would enjoy it. The blonde immediately took a free seat and pulled Ryoma down with her.

It was meant to be a humorous puppet show, but since it was geared towards kids, Ryoma hadn't gotten much of a laugh out of it. Elise on the other hand was turning purple from laughing so much. The older man didn't find that weird though, he liked hearing her laugh.

Ryoma eventually managed to coax Elise out of the tent after the third time of watching the same puppet show. He smiled hearing her already whine about being escorted out.

"Trust me," He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze "There is much more to do here than watch the same puppet show fifteen more times."

"But it was sooooo good!" She protested but left her complaints at the exit of the tent. Ryoma instantly knew why the complaining had stopped. The sun had gone down while they were enjoying the show and multiple paper lanterns had been lit up to light the festival grounds.

The older man remembered seeing the sight as a child and how amazing it had been. He figured Elise was having the same reaction based on how wide her eyes got.

"Its so pretty." She mumbled, continuing to eye the paper lanterns.

"That it is." He smiled before leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head "But not as pretty as you." The blush that spread across Elise's cheeks only made him chuckle.

"You big softy." She mumbled, giving him a gentle shove. Ryoma just laughed even harder before taking his girlfriend's small hand into his much larger one.

"Ryoma?" Elise eventually questioned as she eyed up the festival grounds. Most of the vendors she spotted were food stalls or vendors selling tacky jewelry. Elise may have liked shiny jewelry but not whatever it was some of the vendors were selling. "Do they have games here?"

Ryoma wondered when Elise would question about games. She was such a lover of them and he was honestly surprised she hadn't asked sooner. The puppet show and lanterns must have been a decent distraction "There are. How about I show you my favorite one?"

Elise nodded enthusiastically and started to tug on Ryoma's arm to get him to move faster, despite the fact she had no idea where she was to lead him to. The older man laughed and took the lead, guiding his girlfriend to a section of the festival that was littered with games.

Ryoma could see the spark light up in Elise's eyes again as she studied each one. She was already going on about what other ones they could try. As it was growing late, not many kids were around. Ryoma was grateful for that as he had no desire to step around little children.

He stopped in front of a game with an aquarium that had multiple goldfish swimming around in it. "I loved this game as a child. Still do." He told Elise, watching as the woman eyed the tank.

"What do you do?" She questioned. Ryoma paid the man running the game and was handed a very small net.

"This is a poi. You use it to catch the fish and put them into this." He was next handed a small bucket filled with water.

Elise rolled her eyes and reached for the poi "That sounds easy!"

"Easier to explain than to do. The poi is incredibly fragile and the fish are fast." Ryoma laughed, relinquishing the poi over to the young woman. He held the bucket for her as Elise rolled up her sleeves and watched the fish carefully.

"Got you!" She shouted out as she dunked the poi into the tank and tried to scoop up one of the goldfish. The paper net immediately broke and Elise looked utterly baffled.

Ryoma smiled slightly "Elise, I said the poi is fragile. You need to be careful." He chucked seeing his girlfriend's lip stick out as she started to pout. "Lets try again." He handed the vendor more money and was given another poi to use.

Ryoma placed the bucket on the ground and placed the second poi in Elise's hand. He then placed his larger hand over hers "Ready?"

The small blush that spread across Elise's face was incredibly noticeable, but she still looked determined. "Ready!"

The older man guided Elise's hand and the poi went into the tank without breaking. He helped her to be fast but gentle as they scooped up multiple fish and placed them into the bucket. By the time the poi broke, they had about ten goldfish captured.

"Yipee!" Elise cheered "Can we keep them all?"

Ryoma shook his head and handed the bucket over to the vendor "Only one." Elise started to pout but changed her tune when the vendor handed her a plastic bag with one of the fish in it.

They scurried around and Ryoma showed her a few more games before it started to near midnight. Elise whined as her boyfriend dragged her from the game area and into the nearby open field where others were gathering.

"One more game! Come on, Ryoma!" Elise continued to whine, even when Ryoma sat down and pulled her into his lap.

"No more games. My wallet is crying enough." He teased, wrapping his arms around the small woman. "Besides, if we keep playing we'll miss the best part of the festival."

Elise perked up at that, just like Ryoma knew she would "Best part? Oh, what is it?"

"I can't tell you." He shook his head "It's a surprise." Elise immediately started to pout again but all this earned her was another chuckle from Ryoma.

He held her close as Elise killed time by eyeing her captured goldfish. She was talking about names when the two heard a loud boom and colorful lights filled up the sky. Ryoma chuckled at the way Elise had jumped, her shocked face turning to one of amazement as more fireworks shot up into the sky.

"Whooooa..." She exclaimed. Multiple fireworks illuminated the dark night as she watched them with complete awe "Was this the surprise?" She questioned, not taking her eyes off the sky.

Ryoma nodded "It was. Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Elise giggled and leaned herself back against Ryoma's chest as they watched the fireworks.

With Elise snuggled close against him along with the loud booms of the fireworks, to Ryoma, it felt like it the whole show was just for them.


	20. Choice of Your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura was the Hoshidan princess taken from her family at a young age and raised as Nohrian royalty. Now she must decide whether to side with the family that raised her...or the one she was taken from.

No one should ever be forced to make such a decision. What did Sakura ever do wrong that she was put in that position?

She looked to her right and saw Ryoma hold his hand out to her "This way." He sounded so calm despite the advancing Nohrian forces. The Nohrian forces that included the family who raised her.

The rest of her Hoshidan siblings came rushing up. They looked wary. They looked concerned. She had only just found out they were her true siblings a few days ago. Her blood siblings. They wanted her to return to Hoshido and Sakura couldn't blame them for that.

"Little sister?" Hinoka spoke up, stepping in front of Takumi and Corrin.

"She's my sister!" Elise's voice rang out as the Nohrian royals piled up on Sakura's left. She didn't know what to do. Ryoma's hand was still held out as he waited for her to take it.

Sakura held her stave close to her chest before looking to Xander. The crowned prince was on his mount and gave her a fond look. He expected her to choose them "We're your family."

Sakura's gaze fell on her Nohrian siblings. They all looked almost confident that she'd side with them. Just as her Hoshidan siblings were confident she'd go to them.

She spotted Azura among the Hoshidan soldiers. The songstress who rarely showed emotion looked rather eager to hear what Sakura would do. There was only one problem.

Sakura didn't know what to do.

King Garon was not her father. King Sumeragi was, so she'd been told. But although she held no love for the Nohrian king that kidnapped her, she couldn't help but continue to love the siblings she'd gained. The fond memories almost immediately came rushing back to her.

Elise would share a room with Sakura and they'd stay up all night just talking and giggling. The blonde princess would poke fun at their older brother while Sakura would try to defend him, even though she'd be laughing herself. They'd bake together and practice with their healing staves. They'd walk the Northern Fortress halls and fill them with laughter.

Her eyes fell on Leo. Her brother who excelled at magic. Her brother who taught her everything she knew. Even though he was a strict teacher, he'd never ridicule Sakura or make her feel inept. Leo had treated her with nothing less than kindness. On occasion he'd stay up late and watch her practice magic. He'd offer tips and show her new tomes he'd acquired. They'd talk history together and use chess pieces to have mock battles. Sakura was his pride and joy.

"Come, Sakura. Its almost time for your nap." Camilla's words caused Sakura's head to snap in the woman's direction. Camilla was always so loving and overprotective of each of them, but especially Sakura. If she had a bad dream Camilla would rush to her side and hold her for hours. She would sing soothing songs to lull her back to sleep. Camilla did everything to make sure her siblings knew she loved them. She did everything to let Sakura know she loved her.

"Xander..." The name fell from Sakura's mouth as she looked to her brother who sat high on his horse. "Big brother..." She could see the shock that hit Ryoma's face when she referred to Xander as such, but she tried her best to ignore it.

"Its alright, little princess." The crowned prince smiled at her. His hardened expression having softened when she looked to him. "You can come home now."

Could she really? Garon had tried to kill her, Xander had to have known that. How could she return to Nohr when the man who left her to die sat on the throne? Garon had used her as a pawn to kill Queen Mikoto. She couldn't face that man again.

"X-Xander I can't...I don't..." Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes and she noticed her brothers features harden again. He was such a kind older brother. Even though he knew they weren't related by blood he treated her as if they were. When they were younger he'd stay by her bed at night and read to her before going out to practice with his sword. Sakura remembered watching him from the window and wishing she could be as brave as him.

"Sakura, it'll be alright. Get behind me." Both her and Xander looked in Ryoma's direction. Xander's expression only grew colder as the Hoshidan prince spoke. Based on Ryoma's expression, he thought Sakura chose him.

"R-Ryoma...no I...I..." He had practically doted on her since she had been brought back to Hoshido. When Sakura told him she had no memory of her true home, Ryoma sat her down and told her as many stories as he could. She'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy them.

Her Hoshidan siblings still looked at her. They were hopeful she'd go with them. Her eyes first fell on Takumi. The brother that at first didn't trust her. He wanted nothing to do with her and believed her to just be a spy sent from Nohr. His hatred for her only seemed to grow when Mikoto was killed. Even with his obvious distaste for her, she couldn't hate him. She enjoyed watching him practice archery and she enjoyed the small conversations they occasionally had. He hated her. But his eyes let her know that he wanted her to return to Hoshido.

"I've had enough of this!" Hinoka spoke up "Sakura, we're your family. Those Nohrian scum have done nothing but lie to you." The young healer heard Camilla make some comment in response but Sakura hadn't caught exactly what it was. Hinoka had trained her whole life to be a warrior in hopes of taking Sakura back from Nohr. The woman had sobbed and held Sakura tightly upon her return. Even though she had barely known Hinoka at the time, Sakura had felt loved. She still felt loved.

Then there was the oddball Hoshidan sibling, besides herself. Corrin. Mikoto's actual blood child. Corrin hadn't uttered a word the entire time and looked at her in the same way Azura had. He was expecting an answer like the rest of them but like Azura, he had no idea which side Sakura would take. Even during her time in Hoshido, Corrin hadn't spoken much to her. He kept his distance and would occasionally smile at her when they passed each other. Did he also hate her? Or did he fear getting close because he knew something she didn't.

Her gaze fell back upon her eldest brothers. Their expressions were hard and unreadable. If she choose the opposite side, would the other kill her? Why couldn't they just lay down their weapons and make peace? Sakura knew why peace was impossible. King Garon had killed both Hoshido's king and queen. He had kidnapped a Hoshidan princess and waged war on the once peaceful kingdom. Such things couldn't be forgotten easily.

"Little princess, we have raised you like you were our own. I know we do not share the same blood but if you come to Nohr I'm sure father would forgive you." Forgive her? Forgive her for what? She had done nothing. Garon was to blame, did Xander not see that?

"Stop filling her head with lies. Come back to Hoshido. Sakura please, we have wanted nothing but your safe return." As happy as Sakura was that Ryoma and the rest loved her, she couldn't help the pang of guilt that hit her heart. How much had they given up in hopes of rescuing her? How much had their family fallen apart because of her kidnapping? Even though Garon was to blame for that as well, she still felt guilty. She felt guilty over everything that had happened since she was taken.

"I...I can't...please, can't we just-"

"You must decide." Her eldest brothers said in unison. There was no middle ground for them. It was one or the other. The family that raised her or the one that she was taken from. Loyalty or blood.

Sakura's eyes fell upon Azura once more. The songstress smiled at her. Despite what was going on she actually smiled and gave the healer a reassuring nod.

_'You'll be fine.'_

Sakura's knuckles had turned white from how tight she was holding her stave. Her knees shook and she felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. She looked from Xander to Ryoma. From her Nohrian siblings to her Hoshidan ones.

She made herself stand tall. She made herself stop crying. Sakura looked her brother's directly in the eyes and she did not waver under their waiting gaze.

"I choose neither."


	21. Handcuffs of Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU: Arthur is one action packed TV star with his action packed lady, Azura, by his side. How does she always manage to get him so flustered though?

"I've got the perp!"

Arthur caught up to his partner as she slammed the criminal to the ground. The criminals face was forced into the mud as Azura kept his hands held tight against his back.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you."

She looked dazzling as she snapped the cuffs onto the criminals wrists before sliding off from on top of him. She easily hoisted him up off the ground, not even looking strained in her movements.

Arthur almost felt frozen until he remembered he had something to say "Ah, justice was delivered today!" He took a step closer to his partner "Good work offic-" A sudden misstep caused the bringer of justice to slip and land on his back. Hard.

" ** _CUT!!_** "

Arthur sighed as he heard the familiar bell sound ring throughout the studio, signaling for all the cameras to stop rolling. Azura released her hold on the criminal who in turn easily slipped out of the cuffs.

"You alright, Arthur?" The 'criminal' asked, rubbing at his wrists.

The man nodded from his spot on the ground before pushing himself into a sitting position "I'm doing dandy, Niles. Just a little slip is all."

Niles laughter rang out around them, easily drowning out the chatter coming from the stage crew "That was more than a slip. Did Azura's glowing face distract you? It certainly distracted me." He smirked at the silent woman.

Azura shook her head before pointing to Nile's face "You have something right there."

The white haired man reached his hand up and brushed away the mud "Is that all?"

"No," Azura stepped closer and pointed to Nile's mouth "This is still here."

It was Arthur's turn to laugh as he finally stood up and took note of the scowl spreading across Nile's face. "Always such a jokester, Azura! You should have been a comedian, not a drama star!" The smile she gave him made Arthur's heart flutter in his chest.

"Take a fifteen minute break everyone! Arthur! Try to quell that bad luck of yours! We have six more scenes to shoot today!" The director called over to the group. Arthur sighed and felt his smile fall into a frown.

His bad luck had hit him full force today. He woke up to find that his aquarium had fallen during the night and completely soaked his bedroom carpet. Then when making breakfast he was greeted to a nest of spiders in his cereal bowl. Coming to work hadn't changed his luck for the better. He had already knocked over a camera and knocked over the snack table. His fall during filming wasn't even the tip of the iceberg.

His frown didn't last long as it bounced right back into a smile when Azura placed her hand on his arm. "Lets get a quick lunch in. Maybe your just hungry." Ah! Of course! Maybe a well balanced lunch would help settle his bad luck! Or at least rid the world of his growling stomach for a few hours.

"You will be joining me?" He asked with a glint of hope.

"Of course, I do everyday." She linked her arm with his before they headed toward the exit of the studio. Arthur had already destroyed the snack table earlier so there was no food for them to munch on at the studio. Arthur's studio trailer would have to do for now.

The trailer was right across from the studio and once there, Arthur, the gentleman he was, held the door open for his lovely co-star. Azura thanked him before walking in "I still don't understand why your trailer is smaller than mine. You are the star after all."

Arthur stepped in behind her and let the door close on its own "Ah well, they needed to downgrade me to this trailer after my previous one fell apart."

The woman hummed as she tried to think "Oh, right...how did your trailer manage to split in two?"

"Not a clue! But it was rather amusing to see everyone's faces after the fact!" Arthur knelt down in front of his mini-fridge and glanced over his shoulder to Azura "Are you thirsty? I'm afraid I only have water." The healthiest of drinks!

"Thats fine." Azura continued to explore the trailer, not that there was much to look at what with how tiny it is. She spotted the futon on the floor and raised a brow "Why is that here?"

Arthur looked over his shoulder again and followed the woman's gaze to the futon "Oh er..." His cheeks turned pink in embarrassment "Some times I sleep here, when it isn't worth going home." Mostly on the days he had to stay afterwards to help clean any messes his bad luck had caused during filming.

Arthur grabbed the two water bottles, opening Azura's before turning to face her. He didn't realize how close she had been and smacked right into the poor woman. Azura gasped as the opened water bottle spilt all over her shirt

"Ah! Azura! My apologies, I didn't realize you were standing there!" The front of her shirt was soaked. Luckily it was just part of her costume for the show, but she'd still need a new one to wear when they went back on set. "I-I'm sure the costume department has a spare.

Azura giggled "Its fine, Arthur. It was an accident." She took the water bottle from him, planning on drinking the little water that was left.

"I can run back to the set and get you a new shirt." He offered but the woman just shook her head.

"You don't have to run all the way back there. I'll just borrow one of your shirts for now."

Was Arthur's face turning red? He felt like it was. "My...my shirts?"

"Yes. They are very comfy after all and it would save you a trip." Arthur swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Azura go for the small dresser in his trailer and pull out a rather large flannel shirt. "May I wear this one?"

The man could only nod before turning his back to the woman to give her privacy. Why was he always so embarrassed when she would wear his clothes? He'd seen the sight hundreds of times by now. Damn him for being so easily flustered by his own girlfriend.

Something landed on his head and when he reached up for it he realized it was Azura's soaked shirt. "Are you decent?" He asked.

Azura let out a soft giggle "Yes Arthur. I'm decent." He turned around and almost had a heart attack from the sight. There she was, wearing his oversized flannel shirt that practically went passed her kneecaps. The sleeves were large and had she not pushed them back they would have gone way passed her hands. Azura had the shirt buttoned to the very top but even then it wasn't enough and her collarbone poked out.

"You look...uh...well...ravishing." His mouth felt dry and he quickly had to take a large sip of his water. He could hear Azura giggle again as she stepped closer.

"Do I? I don't think I've worn this shirt before. Is it new?"

"Ah, yes. A gift you see. From er..." Arthur couldn't finish his sentence as Azura distracted him by placing her hands on his chest.

"Mhmm, continue."

"Azura, we are supposed to be having lunch. Not er...getting...frisky."

The woman laughed. Her laugh was so beautiful. At least to Arthur it was. "I just wish to be with you. We haven't been able to spend much time together off-set."

That was true. Azura had more than just the show to film for. She had albums to record and meet and greets to attend. Arthur...well he just had to survive getting through the days with his bad luck.

"W-well...we do still have ten minutes left. I'm sure we can have a hefty lunch and have time for some...um...activities." He suggested, the blush returning to his face in full force. He was relived when a small blush started to form on Azura's cheeks as well.

"I would like that." Azura removed a hand from his chest and grabbed the prop handcuffs from her belt "Maybe we could use these too." She giggled.

Arthur's eyes went wide at the suggestion "A-Azura! I never knew you were um...so...that you were..."

"Arthur, I was kidding."

"R-right. My apologies."


	22. Its Not Stalking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles promises to never bug Nina about her 'hobby' ever again, as long as she takes him out on one of her outings.

"Oooh, yes. Right there." Nina watched from the rafters as the Nohrian prince placed a hand on the Hoshidan prince's shoulder. Such a small touch and yet so intimate "Maybe just a biiiit lower on the arm. It'd be perfect."

She practically drooled over her notebook as she wrote down each of their interactions. The two princes were perfect for each other, why didn't they see it? She certainly did. At least in her fantasies.

_The Nohrian prince's hand slowly slid down his counterparts arm, stopping just above the elbow. They gazed into each others eyes for what felt like an eternity. Once enemies, now brothers in arms. Maybe even more. The Hoshidan prince took the first move as he stepped forward._

_"I've...I've wanted to be with you for so long." He stuttered out, placing his hands on the Nohrian prince's shoulders._

_"As have I. Had we not joined force, where would we be?"_

_"Lonely."_

_Their faces were mere inches apart. They closed their eyes and leaned in closer. Their-_

"Nina!" The young daydreamer nearly fell out of the rafters as she heard the shout from her father.

Both princes were startled and the fantasy was broken. Damn her father. She had just gotten to the good part too "What?" She glared down at him but he only returned her hostility with a smirk.

"Get down from there and stop stalking our future kings." He chuckled. Oh, how she hated that chuckle. Her cheeks flushed as both princes finally spotted her. They seemed just as embarrassed as having been watched.

"Its not stalking!" Nina huffed and started to climb down. The façade was broken now and the princes were already leaving. That had been her best fantasy all week and her father had broken it. "I'm merely watching over their well being."

"While writing in your smut book?" Niles questioned as he plucked the notebook from her hands once she was firmly on the ground.

Nina's cheeks only grew redder and she lunged at him to get her book back "Don't look!" She shrieked as Niles flipped through the pages.

"I was hoping you'd be just a tad more imaginative, daughter. That position isn't even possible." He criticized as he stopped on a particular page. A page that Nina had been proud of before but now was absolutely horrified to have written.

"Dad! That's private!" She yelled, finally stomping on his foot to get him to release her prized possession. She felt oddly gleeful when Niles winced and the book slipped from his hands, which she easily caught. "Now if you'll excuse me."

Nina turned to leave but immediately felt Niles' hand on her shoulder, effectively pulling her back "Hold it, we need to talk about this little...issue you have."

"Issue?" She questioned, shrugging his hand off and glancing at him from over her shoulder "I don't have an issue."

"Nina, you stalk people."

**"IT'S NOT STALKING!!"**

Niles winced once more from his daughters volume. For such a stealthy girl, she could certainly be loud when she wanted to be. "Fine, not stalking. What do you call it?"

Nina raised a brow at the question. What did she call it? It wasn't stalking! That much was for sure. She tapped her chin with her finger and gave it some thought. Suddenly it hit her "People watching!"

"People watching?"

"People watching." She repeated and her smirk grew bigger. Today she had won the battle. Or so she thought. The smirk creeping across Niles face didn't put her at ease.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I joined you next time you...people watch?"

Her face grew flush again "W-what? Why would you want to join me?"

"Well I used to bird watch." Niles shrugged but maintained his cocky smile "People watching can't be that different. Plus it'd give us some bonding time." He draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close.

She was having none of that as she tried to wiggle out of his hold "Absolutely not! Sta- people watching is my thing!" Nina would not have her father hovering over her as she watching men get intimate with each other. Or at least as she fantasized about them getting intimate.

"Just one trip." His grip on her tightened. He was not letting her out of that one. "I can learn to appreciate your hobby more. Maybe buy you a new notebook while out. That one does seem to be getting full."

Nina let out an audible huff. Her notebook was getting rather full and it was her last one. She could always buy her own though, she didn't need him there to get it for her. She wouldn't take his stupid gifts. "No."

Niles let out a snort and released his daughter, who immediately stepped away from him once free "Nina, I'm your father. You can't really tell me no."

"I can and I will. No." She repeated herself "If I see you anywhere near me while I'm out tomorrow I'll run an arrow through your only good eye."

"Alright, alright." He held up his hands defensively "What if, I go with you this one time, then never again?" He could tell he piqued her interest at that offer "I won't tease you about your hobby anymore and I'll buy you as many notebooks as you want."

Was she dreaming? Did her father really promise to leave her alone if she just let him come on one outing? She could very well threaten to take his eye out again, but that wouldn't silence him for long.

"Fine, you can people watch with me." Nina reluctantly agreed. She just had to get through one day. One day is all it would take to get her father off her back forever.

She should have just threatened to take out his eye.

The next day Niles had tailed behind her as she jumped rooftops and hovered over market places, looking for someone to watch. Mainly men. Very close men.

"What about them?" Her father asked, nudging her with his arm. She scowled seeing him point to two old men playing chess.

"No."

"They are having such an exciting game though. You can't make one of your little stories out of that?"

Nina groaned. She continued to groan as Niles just pointed at old men the entire trip for her to fantasize about. When she found younger boys to gawk at he'd break her fantasy and try to draw her attention elsewhere.

She was going to kill him soon.

"Dad!" She screeched, most likely drawing the attention of those on the ground. "Will you just...shut up!?" He had ruined the entire trip for her. All of her wonderful new fantasies to put into her wonderful new notebook. Wasted.

"I'm just trying to help you people watch." He chuckled, looking again to those shuffling below them.

"Pointing out old farts playing chess o-or reading or doing **_anything_** isn't what I want to watch!"

"Oh?" Niles questioned with a raised brow. Nina didn't like that look, not one bit. "You don't want to know that three of those old men are assassins? Or that one is the leader of a local bandit group thats been causing trouble for this village."

"W-what?" Nina asked. She quickly looked to the people below them, keeping her eyes trained on the old men Niles had pointed out before "They are?"

"One of those men is a rich, old geezer who buys children off the streets." When Nina looked to her father, she could see the scowl on his face. The utter hatred in his eye as he kept it fixated on one of the older gentlemen walking through the marketplace.

"Dad-"

"You can enjoy your hobby, Nina. If thats what makes you happy. But you need to keep your eyes peeled and watch everyone. Even those that don't interest you." His gaze finally left the streets and landed on her. He looked as serious as the day he found her out of her deeprealm. "If you don't pay attention to everything around you, you could end up dead."

That sent a shiver up the daydreamers spine. Could one of the aforementioned assassins gotten her had she not had Niles there to keep a close eye on them? Could the sleazy rich guy have plucked her off the streets? She didn't want to think of that.

"I...I think I'm ready to go." She was done today getting life lessons from her father. Even if he did make valid points.

Niles serious expression finally shifted and his cocky smirk reemerged. "So soon?" He gestured down to two strapping young men that were carrying boxes across the marketplace "I believe the red headed boy has been eyeing his friends backside for some time now. I don't suppose you'd want to make a fantasy out of that."

Nina's head whipped around back to the marketplace and she immediately spotted the two mentioned men. Gods, they were perfect. She could already picture the scenario in her head. Her frown deepened though and she looked back to her father "What about the old-"

"I'll watch them. You...you enjoy yourself." He said, giving her a warm and comforting smile.

Nina would never admit to it later, but she returned his smile with one of her own "Thanks...thanks dad." She looked back to the streets below and opened her notebook "But don't think this means we're best friends now."

Niles laughed "Wouldn't dream of it."


	23. I Just Want My Fork Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin makes a declaration, chopsticks are the worst utensils on the planet and no amount of help from her Hoshidan siblings will ever make her see otherwise.

"Y-you have to hold them l-like this." Sakura adjusted how the chopsticks in Corrin's hand was being held once more. They had been going through the same routine for almost an hour. It was a rather good thing that Sakura was so patient.

Corrin let out a loud groan "I just don't get it! How does an entire kingdom survive when they are using these complicated sticks to eat?" She waved the chopsticks around and once more messed up the position of her fingers.

Sakura let out a soft sight. It was understandable that Corrin was having such difficulty using Hoshidan utensils. She had grown up in Nohr from a very young age and was too used to silverware. Chopsticks, among other things, were a whole new experience for her.

"Y-you'll get it, big sister! I...I believe in you!" The young priestess gave her sister words of encouragement, hoping that would inspire her to continue trying.

Her words honestly weren't that effective, but Corrin's ever growing hunger sure was. The dragon princess let out a sigh before making an attempt to hold the chopsticks the way Sakura had taught her.

"I can do this...I can so do this." She muttered to herself, slowly inching the chopsticks down towards the ice cold curry. She moved her fingers in a way to try and pick up the food but when she lifted it to her mouth all the curry went falling back into the bowl.

Corrin let out a frustrated shout, causing her younger sister to jump. She slammed the chopsticks down on the table and buried her face in her hands "I miss my fork..."

"You mean you miss inferior Nohrian cutlery."

Both girls looked up towards the door and saw Takumi there leaning against the door frame. He huffed at the sight of his older sister who couldn't even use something as simple as chopsticks.

"How pathetic." He mumbled before pushing off the doorframe and walking towards them.

"C-Corrin has improved! She u-used to not be able t-to even bring the end of the chopsticks together!" Sakura spoke up in defense of their older sister. It didn't make Corrin feel much better though.

"If you're going to be staying here, you'll need to learn how to use chopsticks properly. No more of that fork talk." Takumi crossed his arms over his chest, causing Corrin to roll her eyes at how serious he was trying to be.

"I'll get it...eventually. But for now," The princess forgot all about those stupid chopsticks and scooped some curry into her hand. It was ice cold by now but she'd eat. She's eaten colder food after all. The looks she got from both her siblings though made her realize she had done wrong.

"Are all you Nohrians such savages?" Takumi asked looking utterly disgusted by her behavior.

"B-big sister, t-thats not proper etiquette!" Oh Gods, even Sakura was scolding her.

Corrin huffed and placed the curry bowl back onto the table, letting the remaining pieces fall from her hand and into the bowl. "What is proper etiquette then? Using those annoying sticks?"

"They're chopsticks! Maybe if you weren't so impatient you'd know how to use them by now!" Takumi spoke up with a rather loud huff.

Corrin turned to her younger brother with an annoyed expression "You're talking to me about impatient? Just the other day you almost threw a tantrum because you had to wait in line for food!"

"I did no such thing!"

"You did so!"

Sakura took a step back as her older siblings started to argue over chopsticks and being impatient. She felt tears well up in the sides of her eyes as she tried to break up their fighting "U-um...c-can we maybe...C-Corrin? T-Takumi? Y-you both are....um..." She wasn't loud enough to get through to either of them.

The priestess sighed, drastic measures would need to be taken. She took in a deep breath and got ready to shout.

" **STOP!** "

Sakura blinked in surprise. That shout hadn't come from her.

All three snapped their heads toward the door to see Hinoka standing there with her arms crossed. She held a disapproving look, like each of them had wronged her in some way. "What is going on in here?" She asked her young siblings.

"She started it!"

"No he did!"

Just like that, Takumi and Corrin were at it again. At one point Corrin grabbed Takumi's ponytail and yanked on it. The archer let out a yelp before grabbing hold of his sisters loose hair and doing the same. The siblings were soon on the floor, scratching, biting, arguing and pulling each others hair.

Hinoka let out a sigh as she stepped into the room and physically pulled the two bickering siblings apart. "I told you to stop! Can't you two ever get along?" The younger siblings just huffed and crossed their arms in unison.

The sky flier looked between them before locking eyes with Sakura, causing the youngest sibling to tense. "Sakura, you're unbiased here. What happened?"

Corrin and Takumi instantly looked at her and sent her looks, wanting her to agree and choose only one side. It made the young priestess shake in her sandals.

"U-uh...um...well C-Corrin was trying to learn h-how to use chopsticks a-and um...well she...Takumi you see...um."

"Either way it was his fault!" Corrin said, pointing at Takumi accusingly.

"It was not!"

"Was so!"

Hinoka let out a groan and Sakura's frown only deepened as for the hundredth time their siblings started to bicker. They almost sounded like an old married couple it was getting that bad.

The sky flier was about to tell them both to shut up when a booming and commanding voice hit their ear drums.

"What is all the commotion in here?"

Ryoma stood by the door way now, his arms crossed across his chest and holding a stern expression. All of the Hoshidan siblings seemed to freeze under his glare.

Hinoka was the only one with the guts to speak up by that point "They're just squabbling over chopsticks."

The swordsman raised a brow and his expression seemed to soften. He took a few steps into the room to draw nearer to his siblings "Chopsticks? What about them?"

"Corrin's useless and can't use them!"

"I am not useless!"

Ryoma's glare shut them right up again. He sighed and placed a hand on Corrin's shoulder "Are you having trouble? Surely you can't be doing that bad."

The dragon princess seemed to shrink under her brothers gaze as she mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that, Corrin?"

"I said I can't pick up anything with them! I want my fork back!" She groaned before flopping onto the seat she had been using earlier.

A small smile came to Ryoma's face and he let out a soft chuckle. He grabbed the discarded chopsticks from earlier and went about positioning them in Corrin's hand "I think you are just making yourself more frustrated. You can do this. Take a deep breath and try again."

Corrin raised a brow to her older brother before glancing at the rest of her siblings. Hinoka and Sakura gave her encouraging nods while Takumi just made a gesture for her to get on with it. She smiled back to them before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

_'I can do this. Its just chopsticks.'_

She grabbed a small bit of curry with the chopsticks and slowly raised it to her mouth. She was almost there. Just a few inches away and...

The curry fell right back into the bowl.

Corrin and the rest of the Hoshidan siblings looked surprised at first. Ryoma was about to tell the young princess to try again when Corrin let out a loud roar and chucked the chopsticks right at the wall.

The sticks hit the wall but never made it to the ground. Corrin had thrown them with enough force to make them impale the wall. Each sibling blinked once.

Then twice.

Once again.

Suddenly the dining hall erupted with laughter. Corrin huffed as each of her siblings wailed at her mistake. She meant for the damned things to break, not get stuck in the wall.

"Can you guys stop?" She tried to call over their laughter. They hadn't heard a word she said. "Some times you guys make me regret choosing Hoshido..."


	24. Never a Quiet Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi and Corrin are expecting their second child and in attempt to have a quiet and peaceful morning, with minimal complaining, a little certain someone decides to interrupt. It is the job of a child after all.

"Its kicking... ** _again_**." Corrin huffed as their overly active, soon-to-be born, monster of a child continued to move and kick. The baby couldn't seem to go five minutes without moving as a way to remind both its parents that it was still there and should give all their attention to it.

The baby wasn't even born yet and already it already was a needy slugabed.

Takumi chuckled and made himself sit up on the bed. He glanced down at his lovely wife who just looked utterly annoyed with the whole thing. "They can't kick as much as Kiragi."

"No," She agreed "But they definitely kick harder."

They were soon going to have their second child. Kana, they were going to call it, whether it was a boy or girl. Even if it was their second time going through all the fun of pregnancy, they couldn't help but be excited.

Takumi, the big family loving man that he was, had been overjoyed to hear the news. He couldn't wait to hold another baby in his arms. He couldn't wait to rock them to sleep at night or read them stories, things Kiragi declared he was too old for.

Corrin on the other hand, she had been rather worried at first. They were still fighting a war after all and she felt bad enough for having brought their son into the middle of it all. Now they were bringing another child into a world full of war. Over the months though, she found herself getting more and more excited. She started to buy new clothes and supplies needed for when the baby would be born. She was ready to spoil the baby rotten.

Takumi reached over and placed a hand on Corrin's belly, smiling when he felt a hard kick against his hand "Their very active this morning. Sakura said that more activity could mean they'll be born soon."

"I can only hope." The dragon princess responded with a snort. She was ready for the child to be born so she wouldn't have to deal with a lower fatigue and swollen ankles anymore. Or the hormones. Damn those hormones. "Lets just say in bed today." She suggested.

Her archer husband raised a brow before letting out a soft chuckle "All day? I don't think its good when the commander of the army lazes around for a full day." Regardless, Takumi sunk back down into the bed and smiled at his wife.

"I'm pregnant, they'll understand. And if they don't, I'll make them." She said with a huff, causing Takumi to chuckle again.

"If you want to be lazy today, I won't stop you. Just know that I'll be staying with you."

Corrin smiled at her husband and inched her way closer. He made it sound as if he'd be a bother if he stayed by her side. "I'd very much enjoy that."

Takumi used one hand to run his fingers through his wife's hair while using the other hand to rub her bulging stomach "You got so big this time around."

The princess huffed and gently hit Takumi's chest "Thats not something you should ever say to your wife. You jerk."

Takumi let out a laugh but didn't stop in his rubbing "Sorry, sorry. I should have known better." His hand lingered over her stomach for a moment longer. His wife was just so beautiful in the morning. Even when Corrin didn't believe she was, Takumi still found her to be the most radiant woman in the world.

They should have known their peaceful morning wouldn't last for long. Not when a certain rambunctious child was up and ready to play.

The door to their room swung open and in ran Kiragi, jumping on his parents bed with a loud shout. He bounced around, giggling like his antics were the funniest thing in the world.

"Good morning, sweetie." Corrin said with a soft smile as Takumi grumbled about their child disturbing their alone time. At least he hadn't walked in on them... _wrestling_. As they told him it was after being caught.

"Mommy! Daddy!" The child cheered, plopping himself down in between them. Corrin couldn't help but giggle as she saw her husbands face scrunch up. Even if it was their son vying for her attention, Takumi still didn't want to share. At least not that early in the morning.

"Time to go play!" Kiragi announced, looking in between both his parents. Takumi glanced over at the one window in their room and sighed. The sun had barely even risen yet and their son was already bouncing around like he'd eaten ten pieces of cake.

"Its too early right now. Get back to bed, you goober." The older Hoshidan prince chuckled, gently pushing on his sons face. His smirk contorted into a look of disgust as he pulled his hand back "Kiragi! Don't lick me!"

The little outburst caused both Corrin and their son to laugh. At least it was never a dull moment in their household. Not with Kiragi there to keep them on their toes.

"Now, now. We don't lick people. Do you remember why?" She asked the little boy that was still nestled in between them.

"Because they taste icky?"

"That and what else?" The princess responded with a soft giggle.

A frown came to Kiragi's face "Because its ruuuude. Sorry daddy." He looked to Takumi who returned his frown with a smirk.

"I guess I'll let it slide. But not before I... **punish you**!" Takumi acted fast and immediately started to tickle their sons stomach. Kiragi burst out into another fit of laugher, his face already reddening from the assault.

"N-no! Daddy no!" He squealed, becoming even louder as Corrin joined in. "Noooo mommy!"

They tickled their little goober of a son until tears welled up in the sides of his eyes. Even when they stopped the child continued to laugh while trying to catch his breath. "Silly mommy and daddy!" He exclaimed once he was calmed down enough to speak.

Both Takumi and Corrin couldn't help but laugh as they snuggled back down into bed. Kiragi let out a soft yawn, the tickle attack having worn him out just enough to _hopefully_ put him back to sleep.

"When will baby...baby be born?" The little boy asked, a yawn interrupting him halfway through his sentence.

"Soon. Very soon. At least I hope so." Corrin responded, taking her sons hand and running a thumb over the knuckles. Takumi did the same to the child's opposite hand. Laying down like that, with their son tucked in between them, it made them happy and excited to know that they'd be doing it all again soon with another addition to their small family.

"Baby...born...born now." Another few yawns and soon enough heavy eyelids closed shut. Soft snoring filled the room and both parents couldn't help but chuckle.

"So energetic. No idea where he gets it from." Takumi whispered, running a hand through their sons soft, white hair.

"From his daddy, of course. He gets his stubborn side from his dad too." The princess teased, earning her an annoyed looking from her husband.

"I am not stubborn."

"You really aren't disproving my point right now."

Takumi shook his head and released his sons hand, only so he could wrap his arms around both his wife and child. He wanted to hold his growing family close. To show them how much he loved and appreciated having them in his life.

"I love you, Corrin."

"Not as much as I love you."


	25. Maid for a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi really should learn to keep his mouth shut. Especially when his girlfriend is an icy maid who some how easily talked him into wearing her uniform for a day.

"You look so cute."

Takumi had decided right then and there. Corrin and Felicia were going to die. There was no tip toeing around it.

Well...Corrin would die. Takumi couldn't necessarily kill Felicia. That's just bad boyfriend etiquette.

The prince looked himself over in the mirror. Nohrian maid uniforms were **so** uncomfortable. How in the world could they get any work done while wearing something like that? Corrin adjusted the maid band while Felicia got out any wrinkles still left on the dress.

"This is embarrassing." Takumi's face was completely red and his entire body was tense. He looked utterly ridiculous. How had he let Felicia talk him into wearing such a thing?

"N-no you look...you look adorable." Corrin wheezed out in between his own laughter. Wearing the dress wouldn't have been so bad if Felicia hadn't invited Corrin along to help Takumi put it on.

"Felicia, is this damned thing really necessary?" The Hoshidan prince asked, turning to the maid.

"I-It sets the atmosphere!" The maid insisted as she got out the last wrinkle in Takumi's dress. "You're the one who said you wanted to try and be a maid."

He said no such thing. Takumi remembered saying, word for word, that Felicia's job was easy. That there was nothing to it. The archer immediately regretted his decision not too long after. He had to give Felicia credit, when she got mad...she got **mad**.

The maid had bet Takumi he couldn't last a full day as a maid. Takumi, not being one to back down from a challenge, promptly accepted. He really wished he'd swallowed his pride and apologized.

"Y-you'll...you'll do great." Corrin was still laughing, now trying to cover his mouth to try and muffle his giggles. The dragon prince was looking to get an arrow in the butt at the rate he was going.

"Okay! Shoo! Shoo!" Felicia pushed Corrin toward the door "Prince Takumi and I have lots of work to do!"

"I think he's more of a maid than a prince today!" Corrin sniggered, only to be promptly shoved out of the room and the door slammed in his face.

Takumi let out a loud sigh and just barely managed to cross his arms. Maid uniforms were a tighter fit than they looked. "That was just cruel, you know?"

"What was?" She asked, looking back at the prince with the sweetest smile she could muster. Takumi didn't buy it for a second.

"Making me wear this damned thing." He said, gesturing to his clothes. The stupid stockings were already riding up and making him even more uncomfortable.

"I think it looks nice on you. Besides, l-like I said before, it sets the atmosphere. Now you'll really understand what its like to be a maid."

Takumi was certainly understanding what it was like to have stockings ride up his rear, that was for sure. The outfit definitely looked better on Felicia than it did on him.

"N-now! Lets get started!" The maid tossed a rag over to the flustered prince before gesturing to the left side of Corrin's room "Y-you dust that side. I'll get this side."

Takumi groaned but did as instructed, slowly making his way over to the tall bookshelf in his brothers room. He felt like his entire bum was out on display as he sauntered over. It became even more embarrassing as he reached up and the dress rode up with his movements.

"Felicia, I can't work in this thing!" He complained, swiftly trying to pull the ends of the outfit down.

"S-stop complaining and yes you can." The woman called over, not even bothering to glance at the maid-in-training. Takumi huffed, even if his girlfriend was a clumsy maid she always remained focused while doing her work. As focused as someone like her could get that is.

Takumi let out another groan before trying to keep himself distracted by dusting the different knick knacks and shelves in Corrin's room. They were doing well at least, working fast with minimal destruction by Felicia. The prince even believed they'd be done sooner than planned with the days chores and he'd be out of the awkward dress in no time.

Then...then _they_ came by.

"Lord Takumi!" Hinata called out, swinging the door open and causing both maids to jump a few feet in the air.

"Lord Takumi! Lord Corrin said you'd be here and-" Both retainers stopped dead in their tracks as they caught sight of their prince. Their prince who was currently dressed in a Nohrian maid's uniform.

"A-ah..." Takumi was at a loss for words. First thing his brain came up with was different ways to kill Corrin. The second thing was to revoke Felicia's kissing privileges once the whole bet was over. The **third** and must important one was for him to yell.

" **Get out**!"

The wail caused all three retainers to wince. Takumi's voice could become incredibly shrill if he put enough force behind it.

"L-Lord Takumi! Calm down! I-I think you look great in those clothes! It shows off your legs!" Hinata quickly said, thinking that would make his lord feel better. It sure as hell didn't.

"You should have gone up a size. Its a little...erm...tight around his torso." Oboro said as a small blush spread across her face. She couldn't even make eye contact with the prince.

"I-it was all that was left." Felicia spoke up, though it didn't seem to bother her that the outfit was just a bit too snug on her boyfriend.

"Will you all leave!" Takumi yelled again, the second round of shrieks finally causing his retainers to jump and run out of the room. "Not you!" He called out, pointing right at Felicia who looked as if she was trying to make her own great escape.

The young maid froze in her tracks and slowly turned toward the prince with a sheepish look to her face "A-ah...please don't be mad." The poor woman was practically shaking in her heels by that point.

Takumi couldn't help but sigh, his anger slowly evaporating as he gestured for her to come closer. Felicia hesitated but soon made her way over to stand in front of the prince who immediately pulled her into an embrace.

"I swear, you didn't do any of this to prove a point and just wanted to embarrass me." He huffed, burying his face in the maid's shoulder.

"I-I would n-never do s-such a thing!" Felicia responded though the extra stuttering in her voice alerted Takumi that that was **exactly** what the woman had been trying to do. His suspicions were only confirmed when she sighed and said "O-okay...maybe I w-was just trying t-to get back at you."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said your job was easy. It isn't." He pulled away and held the maid at arms length "Especially while trying to wear this thing." He gestured to the maid's uniform both of them were wearing.

Felicia let out a shaky laugh "Y-you get used to it." Takumi most certainly would not get used to it, since today was the only day he planned to wear the damned thing. But for now, he'd indulge his girlfriend and continue with their little bet.

"Alright, alright. If there are no more interruptions, lets get the rest of this cleaning done." He took a step back and retrieved the rag from earlier, prepared to go back to dusting off the book shelf once more.

"R-right! Great!" Felicia said with a smile before turning to return to her own work "W-we are making great time! A-after this we just have to go and deliver some tea to the library a-and the rest of the day will be smooth sailing."

Takumi froze in place when the maid mentioned the library. He glanced over his shoulder oh so slowly with a perturbed look on his face "F-Felicia? Who...who exactly are we delivering tea to?"

"Prince Leo of course!"

Felicia didn't think she'd ever heard Takumi scream as loud as he did in that very moment.


End file.
